The term rags to riches refer to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, or sometimes from obscurity to fame. For this blog, I will be telling the rags to riches story of Onika Tanya Maraj also known as Nicki Minaj. Nicki minaj was born on December 8, 1984 to parents of Indian and African descent. She lived in Trinidad and Tobago with her grandmother until she was 5 years old. When she left Trinidad and Tobago, she lived in Queens, New York with her parents. Her father was addicted to drugs and once tried to kill her mother by setting the house on fire. While in middle school, she participated in plays. There, she gained a passion for performing on stage. She then went to a performing arts school in LaGuardia. There, she became interested in music and drama. During her college experience, she worked at Red Lobster and as an administrative assistant so that she could have money. On the side, she started doing underground rap. She was discovered by Lil Wayne through one of her mix tapes. People always wondered why she use different voices in her songs. There is one answer for that, her alter egos. She gained her alter egos to keep her mind off of her parents arguing and fighting all the time. “Fantasy was my reality” stated Nicki in one of her interviews. Some of her alter egos vary from cookie, harajuku barbie, Nicki minaj, and Roman Zolanski. Her image and style does not conform to the norms. According to what I read on a random website, she presents herself this way because she wants to be her own person and show that it’s not always about looking sexy. Now she is widely known because of her alter ego and her image. She rose from the struggles of her parents and became a star.
