"Looking back now, I love that I was pushed to reinvent myself, because when I sit back and I really look, I need hip-hop, and hip-hop needs me."

• Born Onika Tanya Maraj on Dec. 8, 1982, in St. James, Trinidad and Tobago

• Nicki Minaj's first solo album, Pink Friday, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned five Top 40 singles: "Your Love," "Check It Out," "Right Thru Me," "Moment 4 Life," and "Fly."

• At the 53rd GRAMMYs, Minaj received her first GRAMMY nomination for Best Rap Performance for "My Chick Bad," a collaboration with Ludacris. She made her GRAMMY stage debut the following year, performing a medley that included "Roman Holiday."

• In 2011 Mattel made a one-of-a-kind Nicki Minaj-inspired Barbie doll, which was auctioned to benefit Project Angel Food, an organization providing food for men, women and children affected by HIV and AIDS.