Influenced by the unpredictable rhymes of Missy Elliot along with the sexually charged attitudes of Lil ' Kim and Foxy Brown , rapper , television reality show judge , and household name 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 favourite 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 ,
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and Best Rap Performance . An all-out media blitz followed between albums with extravagant performances at award shows across the globe , an appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live , and joining Madonna , alongside M . I . A ., for her Super Bowl XLVI half-time show . In early 2012 , the Eurodance-influenced single ' Starships ' signalled 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 hit number one on the U . S . album charts , driven by a Top Ten showing for ' Starships '. ' Pound the Alarm ' and ' Va Va Voom ' also reached the Top 40 .
By the end of 2012 , Minaj had been announced as a judge for the 12th season of American Idol , although she left at the end of the season . It hardly affected her success , as she set two career records during 2013 : most-charted female rapper in the history of Billboard ' s singles chart , and the first person to win Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the BET Awards four times in a row . She then announced her third studio album , ' The Pinkprint ', which appeared at the end of 2014 . First single ' Lookin Ass ' was also featured on the Young Money compilation ' Rise of an Empire ', released in March of that year , while follow-up ' Anaconda ' was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 2015 Grammy Awards . Filled with songs about guilt and failed relationships , the album was well-received by critics and debuted at number two on the U . S . Billboard 200 chart . Throughout 2016 , Minaj guested on numerous singles , including DJ Khaled ' s ' Do You Mind ' and Ariana Grande ' s ' Side to Side ', and she also released her own ' Black Barbies '. Nicki keep slaying the game !
~ David Jeffries
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