What is Nicki Minaj's net worth?
Nicki Minaj is a Trinidadian-American rapper, model, actress, and R&B singer-songwriter who has a net worth of $150 million.
Nicki Minaj's rather meteoric rise was fueled by three immensely popular mixtapes put out between 2007 and 2009. She released her debut album, "Pink Friday" in 2010. It was massively successful and spawned the quadruple Platinum track "Super Bass." She went on to become the first female artist to have seven tracks on the Billboard 100 at the same time.
She followed that up with a second album that was even more successful than the first, followed by several more smash-hit albums and countless singles. She has won more than 100 notable awards, including six American Music Awards, 10 BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, and two People's Choice Awards. She has been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards. Minaj was discovered by fellow American rapper Lil Wayne. In May 2017, Nicki overtook Aretha Franklin's record for number of songs on the Hot 100 for a female artist. Aretha's record stood for more than 40 years. However it should be noted that Nicki is a featured artist on many of her tracks, whereas Aretha was the sole credited artist on all 73 of her tracks.
Early Life
Nicki Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, on December 8, 1982. She has an older brother and sister and a younger brother and sister. She lived with her grandmother in Saint James as a young child. Minaj's mother, Carol, had moved to New York City to attend Monroe College. When Nicki was five, her mother moved the children to Queens, New York. Carol worked in payroll and accounting departments during Minaj's youth. Minaj's father was addicted to alcohol and other drugs and had a violent temper. He burnt the family house down in December 1987.
Minaj auditioned for admission to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and was accepted. She wanted to become an actress. After graduating from high school, she was cast in the Off-Broadway play "In Case You Forget." She worked at Red Lobster in the Bronx to supplement her acting income. She was fired for being rude to customers. Minaj went on to be fired from, in her words, "at least 15 jobs" for being rude.
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Career
Minaj was discovered by fellow American rapper Lil Wayne and soon after signed a deal with his Young Money Entertainment record label and management firm. Minaj released her first mixtape Playtime Is Over in 2007. She released a number of mixtapes after this, including Sucka Free in 2008. Minaj won the Female Artist of the Year award at the Underground Music Awards in 2008. In 2009, Minaj appeared in XXL magazine and released her third mixtape. Minaj released another mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty, in 2009. Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday, was released on the Young Money Entertainment label in 2010; it went on to sell 4 million copies worldwide. She released a second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, in April of 2012. That album was eventually certified platinum. Nicki Minaj was also one of the celebrity judges on American Idol during the 2013 season. In December 2014, she released her third studio album, The Pinkprint. To date, that album has sold over 650,000 albums worldwide. In August 2018, Nicki released her fourth studio album, Queen. This album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. It was eventually certified Platinum in the United States with sales of 1 million.
In May 2017, Nicki overtook Aretha Franklin's record for a number of songs on the Hot 100 for a female artist. Aretha's record stood for more than 40 years. It should be noted, however, that Nicki is a featured artist on many of her tracks, whereas Aretha was the sole credited artist on all 73 of her tracks. Minaj has won more than 100 notable awards, including six American Music Awards, 10 BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, and two People's Choice Awards. She has been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards but has not won yet.
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Endorsement Income
Minaj has endorsed a number of products during her career. Her first collaboration was a November 2010 endorsement deal with MAC Cosmetics for a lipstick, "Pink 4 Friday," which MAC sold for four consecutive Fridays to promote her album Pink Friday.
In April 2012, Minaj helped launch the Nokia Lumia 900 in Times Square. The following month, Minaj appeared in television and internet advertisements for Pepsi's "LiveForNow" campaign, which featured a remix of her single "Moment 4 Life." She endorsed the 2012 Viva Glam campaign with Ricky Martin, which raised $270 million for the Mac AIDS Fund.
In December 2014, Minaj was announced as the new face of the Roberto Cavalli spring/summer 2015 campaign.
In 2017, she starred in H&M's holiday campaign.
Minaj also has a successful line of fragrances.
Personal Life
Minaj started dating rapper Safaree Samuels in 2000. They broke up in 2014. Minaj started dating rapper Meek Mill in early 2015. They broke up in January 2017. In December 2018, Minaj began dating childhood friend Kenneth "Zoo" Petty. She filed for a marriage license in August 2019. She announced their official marriage on October 21, 2019.
In July 2011, her cousin Nicholas Telemaque was murdered near his home in Brooklyn, New York, an incident she references in her songs "Champion" and "All Things Go."
In February 2017, Nicki's home was ransacked by burglars who reportedly flipped furniture and threw things all over the house—destroying the inside. They made off with jewelry and other expensive items totaling $200,000.
In November 2017, her brother Jelani was convicted of predatory sexual assault against a child and endangering the welfare of a child. On January 27, 2020, he was sentenced by the Nassau County District Attorney's Office to 25 years to life.
ANDER GILLENEA/AFP/Getty Images
| Nicki Minaj Career Earnings By Year: | |||
| 2010 | $4 million | ||
| 2011 | $6.5 million | ||
| 2012 | $15.5 million | ||
| 2013 | $29 million | ||
| 2014 | $14 million | ||
| 2015 | $21 million | ||
| 2016 | $20 million | ||
| 2017 | $16 million | ||
| 2018 | $10 million | ||
| 2019 | $20 million | ||
| 2020 | $10 million | ||
| 2021 | $10 million | ||
| 2022 | $10 million | ||
| 2023 | $10 million | ||
| Total = $196 million (before taxes) | |||
Real Estate
For about a decade, Nicki Minaj was primarily a renter and did not own any real estate in the US. For example, starting in August 2016, Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill rented a mansion in Beverly Hills for $35,000 a month. The home was built in 2008 on the site of Frank Sinatra's former residence. The 10,340-square-foot home has panoramic views of the city and mountains. The house features a two-story foyer, a large living room with a fireplace, and arched French doors leading outside. There's an eat-in kitchen, a wood-lined library with built-ins, a formal dining room, and a family room, as well as eight bedrooms. The outdoor space includes a swimming pool, spa, and a barbecue. Once they broke up, Mill moved out, and the mansion was all hers until February 2018, when she moved out.
For the next several years, Nicki rented a mansion in Calabasas, California.
Nicki finally acquired her own property in late 2022. Nicki paid $19.5 million for a home in Hidden Hills, California, in December 2022. The 12,000-square-foot mansion was newly built and never even made it to the market before Minaj scooped it up.
