Nicki Minaj before fame: What did the rapper look like?
NICKI Minaj has had an extremely successful career in the entertainment industry.
Now, fans want to know more about the rapper's life before fame.
What did Nicki Minaj look like before fame?
Nicki Minaj — whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty — looked different before fame.
As Britannica notes, the star is known for her "bold persona" which includes colorful wigs and "risqué clothing."
However, Minaj's style was more modest and much less colorful before her Hollywood days.
Her persona has been influenced by her difficult upbringing.
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According to Britannica, Minaj's father was addicted to drugs and behaved violently throughout her childhood.
Due to these hardships, she "spent time creating fantasies for herself that would allow her an escape from her tumultuous life."
What was Nicki Minaj doing before becoming a rapper?
Minaj was born on December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago before relocating with her family to Queens, New York at the age of five.
She began working towards her entertainment career at a young age.
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According to Britannica, she began writing rap music at 12 years old before studying acting at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
However, before becoming the famous rapper she is today, Minaj took on multiple other job roles.
When her acting career didn't take off, she "took up a range of steady jobs," which included waitressing at Red Lobster, per Biography.
Which rapper discovered Nicki Minaj?
Fendi, the CEO of Dirty Money, discovered Minaj after finding her MySpace page, per Biography.
He then signed her to his label.
She was later noticed by rapper Lil Wayne.
According to Britannica, the pair collaborated on some mixtapes, with their first one, Playtime Is Over, being released in 2007.
In 2009, Minaj signed with Wayne's label, Young Money Entertainment.