Star Wind CD: Nicki Minaj's Career Full Of Life-Altering Moments

A look at Pink Friday star's highlights as 'Moment 4 Life' video debuts.
By Mawuse Ziegbe

Nicki Minaj
Photo: Christopher Polk/ AMA2010/ Getty Images

Nicki Minaj's "Moment 4 Life" is an inspirational joint in which the Queens MC speaks with naked emotion about living out her dreams. The accompanying visual, which Minaj's Young Money labelmate Drake has called "a fantasy video," is slated to premiere Thursday (January 27) at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV. In honor of the Pink Friday star's latest video, MTV News is taking a look at some of Minaj's real-life fairytale moments, from getting co-signs from Lil Wayne and Jay-Z to scoring her own lipstick shade.

Weezy Introduces Nicki
After spotting the lyrical spitfire on a street DVD series, Wayne roped the promising Queens native into his Young Money collective. Minaj hit the road with Weezy on the I Am Music Tour and later dropped her breakout mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty in 2009.

DJ Holiday, who hosted Scotty with Minaj, predicted the upstart spitter had a bright future ahead. "It's a good opportunity to always find that new chick in the game," he said. "She's gonna have a good, successful career. It's hard to find that somebody who has that niche, that star power. She can rap, she can sing. She connected with everybody in the streets."

Nicki Gets A Jay-Z Co-Sign
She already had Wayne in her corner, but by early 2010, Nicki got an endorsement from another powerful Carter: Jay-Z. Hov suggested to Robin Thicke that Minaj jump on the crooner's "Shakin' It 4 Daddy," a collabo that would be followed by high-profile matchups with everyone from Mariah Carey to Usher. Thicke even helped ramp up Minaj's profile by trotting her out for performances on "106 & Park" and "The Late Show With David Letterman."

"Jay-Z is a person in hip-hop that you almost don't think he exists until you meet him," Minaj explained to MTV News last February. "It's almost like he's bigger than a person. He's a mythical figure. That's a great way to describe it. I was like, 'Jay-Z knows me?' I didn't think he knew who I was, let alone recommend me for something."

Minaj Rocks Madison Square Garden with Wayne, Jay, Drake
For New York-area hip-hop artists, ripping the Madison Square Garden stage is a status-cementing moment that few are able to realize. But not only did the Young Money Barbie perform on the famed stage, she got to take the mic alongside Jigga, Wayne and Drake when Hov touched down on 34th Street for his Blueprint 3 Tour.

"Madison Square Garden? I'm from New York," Minaj said at the time. "This means the world to me — to be there with Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy and Drake. It was the stuff that dreams are made of for a girl. Girls aren't usually in those unique little circles."

Nicki Lands a BET Award
Proving she was becoming an unstoppable force, Minaj managed to snap up her first major award with no album out. The Young Money raptress snagged Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the 2010 BET Awards in June, solely on the strength of her much-bumped mixtapes and features with everyone from Ludacris to Yo Gotti.

Minaj took the moment to comment about the state of female MCs, and, perhaps, subtly send a message of peace to fellow femcee Lil' Kim, who had been throwing jabs at the lyricist. "I think it's so important right now for positive energy among women," she said. "I'm fighting for women."

Nicki Scores VMA Love
Later in the summer, with her #1 hit "Your Love" getting pumped in cars and clubs across the nation, Minaj scored her first MTV VMA nomination for Best New Artist.

"I feel like I've died and gone to heaven," Minaj said about her debut VMA nom. "I definitely thought I'd get one someday, but not before I put the album out. I never thought I'd get a nomination [this year]. ... I didn't even think I'd get invited!"

Minaj went on to rock "Check It Out" at the pre-show in a space-age catsuit alongside will.i.am.

Minaj and Drake Get Hitched — On the Web
The voluptuous lyricist and her heartthrob labelmate nearly brought the Internet to its knees when they announced they were married on their respective Twitter accounts. Although the union turned out to just be a playful prank, her Barbz' heads almost exploded the one weekend she appeared to be off the market.

"Drake is just my little brother, and I kid with him all the time," she explained of the pretend nuptials. "We were just being crazy. I think we were a little bit bored. There's really never a dull moment. I wouldn't say we were bored; I would say we were being mischievous."

Minaj Rips Up Legends on 'Monster'
As she was playing Internet pranks, Kanye West's "Monster" track dropped, and asserted Minaj's lyrical dominance to anyone who might have doubted the spitter's vocal chops.

Helming the last verse on a star-studded posse cut that includes Jay, 'Ye and Rick Ross, Minaj's beastly attitude, demented lyrics and unabashedly badass flow handily outshined her more-established collaborators.

"It was a moment in history," Ross later said of Nicki's verse. "I knew then she's one of the greatest."

Minaj's and Eminem's Alter Egos Up the Ante
Just before Minaj's much-anticipated Pink Friday debut dropped in November, the MC revealed she had scored a rare, top-notch feature for a debut artist: Eminem. Minaj and Em traded bars as their deranged alter egos on "Roman's Revenge," which arguably quieted any doubts about her status as full-fledged rap force.

"It was the most fun song on Pink Friday," she said. "It gave me life."

Minaj Kisses Fame Hello with Her Own Lipstick
Even with monster records with big boys of hip-hop like Kanye and Em under her belt, Minaj proved she's still the ultimate girl's girl by unveiling her own lipstick with MAC. Minaj nearly caused a riot in Times Square when she went to greet fans milling about to check out the Pink Friday special-edition shade.

"She keeps it real and is so personable," an amped fan told MTV News about her "idol." "The guys give her respect because of her lyrics."

Minaj's "My Time Now" Documentary Premieres
Following in the footsteps of Drake, Minaj let MTV's cameras tail her as she prepped Pink Friday, hit the VMAs and traveled to her native Trinidad for the first time in seven years for "My Time Now."

Viewers not only saw her business skills up close and got a glimpse as she laid down the vocals for "Roman's Revenge," they also received a candid look at her family life and the person behind the pink wigs.

"Everybody sees Nicki Minaj; they're gonna meet Onika. They're gonna hear my story, and it's such an inspirational story, which I never really wanted to tell 'cause everyone always feels like you don't want people to know too much," Minaj said of the project. "But when I saw what [MTV and production company @radical.media] did, I thought, 'People need to see this.' It reminds you that everyone always feels like this is it, but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, and I feel like that's what the doc says at the end."

Pink Friday's Big Debut
When her debut album finally hit shelves, it was clear the Barbie army was in effect. Minaj's first outing hit the Billboard 200 at #2, just behind Kanye West, moving 375,000 units in the first week.

"I'm just so grateful and kind of still in shock. These numbers haven't been put up since 1998," she said, referring to Lauryn Hill's debut. "It just makes me feel proud of my team, proud of my fans, everyone who has had something to do with my dreams. Finally, we are seeing this dream come to fruition. It feels incredible."

Minaj Live: "Saturday Night Live" and I Am Music II Tour
In January, it was announced that Minaj, who once studied acting in high school, would be the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" this Saturday alongside "The Social Network" star Jesse Eisenberg.

And earlier this week, Lil Wayne's camp announced the newly freed rapper would be heading out on the I Am Music II Tour in March, and just like she was two years ago, Minaj would be along for the ride.

Don't miss the premiere of 's "Moment 4 Life" video, featuring Drake, tonight at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV, followed by a live interview with the Young Money femcee that will continue on MTV.com. If you have questions for Minaj, tweet them with the hashtag #asknicki or upload a video question to Your.MTV.com.

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