Born Onika Tanya Maraj, Nicki Minaj started up as an aspiring waitress and became one of the most prominent rappers in recent years.
Minaj was initially discovered by Dirty Money Records through her MySpace account, so if you’re talented, don’t lose your hope on being famous one day; someone might soon discover your gift.
Nicki Minaj’s debut album Pink Friday was released in 2010 and went four times platinum. The album also had seven singles reach the Billboard's Hot 100, making her the first female solo artist with such an achievement. I guess we all like that super bass.
When she was younger, Minaj's acting career failed to take off; that’s when she started waitressing. This didn’t last very long -- known for speaking her mind, Minaj was fired after being rude to customers. However, after becoming a well-known musician, her love for fashion extended to film too. She is also a champion for education and regularly helps students get scholarships.
Nicki Minaj lived in a fantasy world in order to cope with her tough childhood, but those early struggles helped her become stronger and fueled her drive to be what others only dream about.
Here are 17 Nicki Minaj quotes to remind you of your true value when in doubt.
Good advice I always hated, but lookin’ back it made me greater.
Shout out to my haters, sorry that you couldn’t phase me.
You're not gonna tell me who I am. I'm gonna tell you who I am.
I will not let anyone scare me out of my full potential.
I believe that life is a prize, but to live doesn't mean you're alive.
Stay in school. Don't ever be lazy, don’t you ever complain about hard work. Work hard, it pays off.
You have to know that as long as you love who you are — your morals, your values, that type of stuff, you're ok.
I just want women to always feel in control, because we're capable, we're so capable.
You don't have to feel the need to put somebody down to make yourself feel better.
Some people have to put in the work. Others get to cut corners. We see it but don’t say it. Welcome to the real world.
True confidence leaves no room for jealousy. When you know you are great, you have no need to hate.
When I win and when I lose, I take ownership of it, because I really am in charge of what I do.
You wanna know what scares people? Success. When you don't make moves and you don't climb up the ladder, everybody loves you because you're not competition.
We all have insecurities, but you have to know you’re beautiful.
When you're a girl you have to be everything... You have to be sexy, and you have to be this and you have to be that, and you have to be nice. It's like, I can't be all those things at once. I'm a human being.
People will love and support you when it’s beneficial.
