When you think of female rapper Nicki Minaj, provocative lyrics, kicking curves, far-out outfits, and an in your face attitude probably come to mind. Although all of these characteristics make up Minaj, there’s a lot more to her than one may think. The crazy girl you see on stage is one of the many personas of Nicki.
Minaj creates alter egos for herself depending on the situation she is in. On stage, she’s Nicki Minaj. At home she’s Onika Maraj (her birth name). What keeps fans, like myself, hooked on the superstar is that you never know what you’re going to get with her.
The first of her many egos was Cookie- relating to some of her first rap lyrics: “Cookie is the name, chocolate chip is the flavor…” The second was Harajuku Barbie, which she mentions in a few of her earliest songs often stating “it‘s Barbie“ with a platinum Barbie chain around her neck. Now, Nicki Minaj has evolved into a world renowned female rapper.
Along with her early egos, Minaj has more recent personas she takes on when rapping and performing.
Roman, her “twin sister” is who Nicki becomes when she is angry. Minaj says that Roman was born inside of her. Roman did a duet with Slim Shady (Eminem’s alter ego) on the song Roman’s Revenge. Roman is Nicki’s crazy, angry side.
Along with Roman, her mother is also one of Minaj’s alter egos. Martha has a British accent and is like Minaj’s magical godmother. Martha is also featured in Roman’s Revenge as well as other songs on Nicki’s album, Pink Friday.
Not only do Nicki’s personalities appear in her lyrics and performances, new ones emerge depending on what she’s up to that day.
Nicki Teresa appeared one day in New York wearing a head scarf. Her goal was to “heal her fans”. George Lopez had a surprise guest when Nicki appeared on his show, Lopez Tonight. Rosa (pronounced Rrrrrrrosa) was Minaj’s alter ego for her appearance on the show.
The next time you hear a song with Nicki Minaj in it, take a minute to think about who you could actually be hearing. Is it Roman, Martha, Nicki, or Onika? These changing personas are what keep fans and the media hooked on Minaj’s every move. With her, you never know what you’re going to expect. This is why she is the number one female rapper in the world right now.
Photo courtesy of : http://intps.us/entertainment-quotes/new-nicki-minaj-songs-2.html
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ohio U chapter.