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Nicki Minaj entered the world of rap in 2005 and has since taken the industry by storm. Initially signed to Dirty Money for two years, the rapper was then discovered by Lil Wayne, whom she credits for having "changed my whole life."
Wayne signed Minaj to his record label, Young Money Entertainment, in 2009. Since then, she has released five studio albums, with the sixth one on the way. Minaj has also been on four headlining world tours and is a self-proclaimed queen of rap for all the right reasons.
Here are the rapper's significant achievements in the rap industry, contributing to her popularity as an artist.
Nicki Minaj became the first female rap artist to perform at the Yankees stadium in 2010
In the first few years of her career, Nicki Minaj made history as the first female rap artist to perform in Yankees stadium. Minaj appeared as a guest on Eminem and Jay-Z's The Home & Home Tour, which consisted of four concerts, two of which were hosted in Yankees stadium.
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Minaj appeared on stage on September 13 as part of Jay-Z's performance setlist. The Super Freaky Girl rapper accompanied Kanye West as the trio performed Monster in the stadium. That was the same year that Nicki dropped her debut album, Pink Friday.
Minaj was the female rapper to have the most Billboard Top 10 hits in 2023
In December 2013, Nicki Minaj earned her 50th Billboard Top 10 hit, with three tracks simultaneously included in the chart's top 10 - Barbie Dangerous, FTCU, and Everybody (featuring Lil Uzi Vert).
With that, Minaj was tied with Kanye West as the third rapper to have bagged the most top 10. The first and second positions on the list were earned by Drake at the top, with 133 tracks in the top 10, and Lil Wayne, with 54 tracks in the chart.
The fact that Minaj was in the league with the leading rappers of the world, with no female rap artist coming close to her record, explains why she deserves the title of the "queen of rap".
Minaj won the best female hip-hop artist award at BET Awards seven years in a row
Nicki Minaj won her first Best Female Hip-Hop Artist Award at the BET Awards in 2010, when she released her debut studio album - Pink Friday. Following 2010, the Hey Mama rapper continued to take the award home for the coming six years straight. No other female rapper has achieved or beat her streak so far.
Even after 2017, the 41-year-old has only been beaten at the award two times - by Cardi B in 2018 and Megan Thee Stallion in 2021.
Earlier this year, Minaj took home the Best Female Hip-Hop Artist Award and title yet again, alongside Kendrick Lamar, who won in the male category for the third year in a row, just like Nicki.
Beyond the BET, Nicki Minaj also won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2022 - a lifetime achievement award bestowed upon only one female rapper before her—Missy Elliot in 2019.
Nicki's achievements, awards, and honors established her as a queen of rap.
Minaj is the most followed rapper on Instagram
The popularity of a celebrity among their fans is an important metric to measure their success, and Nicki Minaj has established herself as the queen in this regard. In July 2022, Billboard released a list of the most followed rappers on Instagram, with the Bang Bang rapper topping the list.
Minaj had just surpassed 2 million followers on the social media platform that month, beating the female and male rappers on the list. Two years later today, the 41-year-old has over 227 million Instagram followers, with whom she actively interacts through Instagram Live sessions.
Nicki is also the richest female rapper in the world
Nicki Minaj's wealth is also a significant indicator of her success as a rapper. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Minaj's net worth as of August 2024 was estimated to be $150 million.
As the only female rapper to have surpassed the $100 million mark, Nicki has established herself as the wealthiest female rap artist in the world, which certainly places her at the top and makes her the rightful queen of rap.
