Nicki Minaj is a person.
Onika Tanya Maraj ( born December 8 , 1982 ) , known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( [ langpronnɪkɪ_mɪ ` nɑːdʒ ] ) , is a Trinidadian-born American rapper , singer , songwriter and model . Minaj 's first and second studio albums , Pink Friday ( 2010 ) and Pink Friday : Roman Reloaded ( 2012 ) , both peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced the successful singles `` Super Bass '' and `` Starships '' , respectively . In 2013 , she was a judge on the twelfth season of American Idol . In 2016 , Minaj was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world . Minaj has received ten Grammy nominations throughout her career , and has won six American Music Awards , eleven BET Awards , three MTV Video Music Awards , four Billboard Music Awards , and was the recipient of Billboards Women in Music 2011 Rising Star award .