Nicki Minaj by Ellen von Unwerth for Paper Magazine Winter 2017

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), known by her stage name Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Born in Saint James, Port of Spain and raised in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, she enrolled in performing art schools as a child. After success with three mixtapes released between 2007 and 2009, Minaj signed to Young Money Entertainment. Her debut studio album Pink Friday (2010) peaked atop the U.S. Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) the month after its release. Its most successful single "Super Bass" has been certified quadruple-platinum and has sold more than four million copies, becoming one of the best-selling singles in the United States. She became the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.