Nicki Minaj just recently turned heads when she tied the knot with Kenneth “Zoo” Petty, who was her childhood friend, on October 21, 2019. Minaj, world renowned for her distinctive rapping with its fast flow and use of accents and alter egos, is considered to be one of the most influential female rap artists of all time. Here are a few little known facts about the record breaking rapper:

Minaj is credited in playing a major role in the redefining of Hip-Hop, Pop-Rap and rap in the 2010s, while also “leaving an indelible imprint on the music industry as a whole.” She is the only woman to have been featured on the Forbes “Hip Hop Cash Kings” list. She was listed for four consecutive times from 2011 and 2014. She was ranked #6 on the Rolling Stone master ranking of the Kings Of Hip Hop, in the year 2011, based on record sales and social media metrics. She was one of the Time 100 celebrities of the year 2016, and was also featured on the cover of the particular issue. In her songs “Champion” from “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,” and “All Things Go” from “The Pinkprint,” she refers to the incident of her cousin Nicholas Telemaque being murdered near his house in New York in July 2011. Minaj, being in the fame game with the title “Queen of Rap,” is also famous for her outfits and especially crazy colorful wigs. In promotion of her album “Pink Friday,” she signed her first endorsement deal with MAC Cosmetics which sold a lipstick, “Pink 4 Friday”, for four consecutive Fridays. In December 2011, Mattel, the American multinational toy manufacturing company, which owns the Barbie brand, produced a custom-made, Minaj-themed Barbie doll. The doll was recently valued at about $15,000, for auction on charitybuzz. Minaj, being one of the world’s best-selling music artists, has six American Music Awards, 11 BET Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, a Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award, and 10 Grammy Award nominations to her name. Minaj, in an interview revealed that as a teenager, she had an abortion, which has haunted her for years to come. Nonetheless she stands by this decision, even referring to this incident in her song “All Things Go.”



In fact, the same song “All Things Go,” from her third studio album, “The Pinkprint,” discusses a wide range of issues and personal challenges that she faced throughout her life, including her strained relationship with her family. In the year 2011, she helped introduce the Casio TRYX in Times Square. And the next year, she helped launch the Nokia Lumia 900 in Times Square again. Minaj, along with Ricky Martin, endorsed the 2012 Viva Glam campaign, through which around $270 million was raised for the Mac AIDS Fund. She co-owns Myx Fusions, a fruit-infused, single serve moscato wine beverage, for which she even lead an ad campaign in June 2013. In the song “Ganja Burn” from her fourth studio album “Queen,” she defended her position in the music industry, while simultaneously sending out messages to fellow female rappers. However, after its release, she tweeted her dissatisfaction with the song. She, in collaboration with “Give Back Brands,” introduced her first fragrance, “Pink Friday.” The fragrance was nominated for three 2013 FiFi Awards – Fragrance of the Year, Best Packaging, and Media Campaign of the Year. Her other fragrance lines include “Pink Friday: Special Edition,” “Pink Friday: Deluxe Edition,” “Minajesty,” “Minajesty: Exotic Edition,” and the “Onika.” She was involved in a relationship with Safaree Samuels, a Jamaican-American rapper, since the year 2000, but the relationship ended in late 2014. It was reported that several tracks from her third album “The Pinkprint” were inspired by the end of her relationship with Safaree Samuels. The album received favorable reviews from music critics and Minaj’s lyricism was applauded. In the year 2011, Minaj, in collaboration with OPI Products, created a six-piece nail polish collection, all of which are named after her songs.

Minaj, along with the designer Jeremy Scott signed an endorsement deal with Adidas’ fall and winter 2012 campaign. With this deal, she had to appear in commercials and internet advertisements for Adidas Originals. Following the Hurricane Harvey which hit the city of Houston, Texas, she reportedly answered the Kevin Hart’s social media challenge and even donated $25,000 to the Red Cross, in August 2017. However, this was not the first instance of her philanthropic activity, as she donated $15,000 to the Food Bank For New York City, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and even held a turkey drive at her alma mater, PS 45 in the year 2012. It was revealed in May 2017 that Minaj has been sending donations via her pastor Lydia Sloley to a village in India, through which the village now has two water wells, a reading program, a computer center and a tailoring institute. The same month, she also offered to pay the college tuition fees as well as the student loans for 30 of her fans, through her official Twitter page, and even made grant requests ranging from $500 to $6,000 for school supplies and tuition. In the year 2013, she fronted the Viva Glam campaign, in which “Nicki 2 lipstick and lip gloss” was introduced. The “Nicki Minaj Collection,” in collaboration with Kmart, is composed of clothing and accessories, was also introduced. In partnership with Beats Electronics, Minaj introduced her “Pink Pill” speakers in the year 2013. Along with DeRay Davis, both were featured in the speaker marketing and commercials. She was the new face of the Roberto Cavalli spring/summer 2015 campaign, in which the campaign images was shot by the Italian photographer Francesco Carrozzini. For her collaboration with the American rapper 6ix9ine in the year 2018, for the single “Fefe,” she received backlash. In fact, fellow rapper Azealia Banks criticized her in tweets and Instagram posts. In the initial days of her career, she claimed that she was bisexual, but later in an interview with Rolling Stone, rectified her claims and clarified her sexuality saying she doesn’t date girls.

Nicki Minaj Net Worth: $85 Million