Influenced by the unpredictable rhymes of
Missy Elliot along with the sexually charged attitudes of
Lil' Kim and
Foxy Brown, Queens native
Nicki Minaj was discovered thanks to her MySpace page. It was there that Dirty Money Entertainment CEO Fendi first heard her ability to freestyle and first laid eyes on her steamy set of promo shots. With killer curves she was obviously proud to flaunt, plus a background in the performing arts thanks to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art (the school that had inspired the movie
Fame),
Minaj was a perfect fit for Fendi's urban DVD magazine,
The Come Up. She appeared in numerous volumes, including number 11, which spotlighted her future label boss, superstar rapper
Lil Wayne. Through Fendi,
Wayne contacted
Minaj and signed her to his Young Money label. They began to build her career through mixtapes like
Lil Wayne's
Dedication 3 and
Minaj's own Sucka Free. Meanwhile, appearances on various remixes -- everything from
T.I.'s "No Matter What" to
Jeffree Star's club track "Cupcakes Taste Like Violence" -- helped spread the word.
The big breakthrough for
Minaj came when
Wayne added his rhymes to her "High as a Kite" single, a mixtape favorite in 2008. The year 2009 would see more guest appearances and mixtapes, including the Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape, featuring the street single "I Get Crazy." In 2010, the singles "Your Love" and "Check It Out" preceded the release of her official debut album, Pink Friday, which debuted that November at number two on the Billboard 200 and went platinum. She earned a handful of 2011 Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Performance. An all-out media blitz followed between albums with extravagant performances at award shows across the globe, an appearance as musical guest on
Saturday Night Live, and joining Madonna -- alongside M.I.A. -- for her Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. In early 2012, the Eurodance-influenced single "Starships" signaled the coming of her official sophomore effort, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, an album built around her devil-may-care alter ego "Roman Zolanski." Guest artists included Nas,
Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Chris Brown, and Beenie Man, while production came from the likes of RedOne, Dr. Luke, and Ke'Noe. The album was re-released in 2012 in a "Re-Up" version with eight new tracks added to the front of the track list.
–
David Jeffries, Rovi