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LOS ANGELES – APR 21: Minaj arrives to the “The Bridge” Season 2 Premiere Screening on April 21, 2014 in Westwood, CA, photo by DFree /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Onika Tanya Maraj
Place of Birth: Saint James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Date of Birth: December 8, 1982
Ethnicity: Trinidadian [African, one quarter Indian, possibly one eighth Japanese]
Nicki Minaj is a Trinidad and Tobago-born rapper, singer, songwriter, model, and actress. Her songs include “Your Love,” “Check It Out,” “Right Thru Me,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Super Bass,” “Fly,” “Starships,” “Beez in the Trap,” “Pound the Alarm,” “Va Va Voom,” “Pills n Potions,” “Bang Bang,” “Anaconda,” “Only,” “Truffle Butter,” “The Night Is Still Young,” “No Frauds,” “MotorSport,” “Barbie Tingz,” “Chun-Li,” “Bed,” “Barbie Dreams,” “Megatron,” “Tusa,” “Trollz,” “Do We Have a Problem?,” “Bussin,” “Blick Blick,” “Super Freaky Girl,” “Princess Diana,” “Barbie World,” and, in a featured role, “Monster,” “Where Them Girls At,” “Dance (A$$),” “Beauty and a Beat,” “All Eyes on You,” “Do You Mind,” “Side to Side,” “Idol,” “Hot Girl Summer,” “Say So,” and “Whole Lotta Money.” She has appeared in the films Ice Age: Continental Drift , The Other Woman , Barbershop: The Next Cut , and The Angry Birds Movie 2 ; and been a judge on American Idol . She has also recorded dance-pop, and utilizes an animated flow in her singing. She has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and is known as the “Queen of Rap.”
Nicki was born Onika Tanya Maraj on Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, the daughter of Carol (Daniel), who worked in payroll and accounting, and Robert Maraj, a financial executive. Her parents were both gospel singers. Her paternal grandfather, whose surname was Maraj, was of Indian-Trinidadian, from India, descent; her father was of Dougla background, a Caribbean term for a mix of Indian and African. It appears that the rest of her family is of African-Trinidadian ancestry. She has evidently also stated that her great-grandfather is Japanese. It is not clear if this is accurate.
Nicki was raised on Saint James initially, though her mother immigrated to New York City, U.S., and later brought Nicki and her brother over when Nicki was five; settling in South Jamaica, Queens. Nicki has said that she arrived in the U.S. as an illegal immigrant, and that she is not a U.S. citizen.
Nicki is married to Kenneth Petty, with whom she has a son. She is a Christian.
Source: http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com
Minaj in 2011, photo by PR Photos