Post by Matt on Dec 28, 2013 19:29:38 GMT -8
Nicki Minaj
At the age of 12, Nikki demonstrated her natural forte for performance by attending La Guardia High School of Music and Art for acting, and creating her first rap song.
To break into the music scene, Nicki started landing roles as a backup singer for local NYC rappers while writing her own songs. She was ultimately discovered by Dirty Money CEO Fendi through her MySpace page and signed on the spot.
In April 2007, Nicki gained national attention for a series of mix tapes she released, in collaboration with rapper Lil Wayne, including, Playtime is Over. Her in-your-face attitude and swagger led to her over-night stardom and a large screaming fan base. She later dropped the mix tape Sucka Free (2008), which won her the Underground Music Award for Female Artist of the Year.
Nicki then released her first single, “Massive Attack,” followed by the release of her album, Pink Friday (2010), which rose to the number one spot on the Billboard 200 charts and was certified Platinum in November of that year. In June 2012, Nicki won Best Hip-Hop Female at the BET Awards and dedicated the award to her mentor Lil Wayne. Two years later, Nicki released her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), which sold 1,000,000 copies and became one of 2012’s best-selling albums.
Most recently, Nicki joined the judge’s panel on season 12 of the reality-competition show American Idol in August 2012. While recently filming in Charlotte, North Carolina, a leaked video of Nicki and Mariah yelling and threatening each other during an audition, hit the web. At one point, Nicki is heard yelling, "I told them I'm not f**kin' putting up with her f**kin' highness over there," and later threatened to knock Mariah out. However, many continue to speculate that it was all fake and solely meant to boost up the hype for the upcoming season.
