Nicki Minaj’s Journey to the US: When Did the Rapper Relocate and Her Citizenship Status

Nicki Minaj’s Journey to the US: When Did the Rapper Relocate and Her Citizenship Status

Nicki Minaj has made a remarkable impact on the music industry for over a decade and a half, solidifying her status as the queen of rap. With five successful albums, four world tours, and a multitude of awards and accolades, she stands as not only the most popular but also the wealthiest female rap artist.

Though the Pink Friday rapper has spent the majority of her life in Queens, New York, she surprisingly has yet to acquire American citizenship. This revelation may astonish some fans, as the 41-year-old artist originally hails from the beautiful island of Trinidad and Tobago.

Nicki Minaj made her move to the United States in the late 1980s—when she was just five years old—arriving as an illegal immigrant alongside her parents.

Nicki Minaj Discusses Her Immigration Status During a TikTok Livestream

In a recent TikTok live session, Nicki Minaj opened up about her ongoing immigration status, stating that even after living in the US for such a long time, her citizenship is still pending, declaring, “I’m not a citizen of America. Isn’t that crazy?”

The Starships rapper elaborated:

“I was born on a beautiful island called Trinidad and Tobago. But I’ve been in the States for many years. You would think that with the millions of dollars that I’ve paid in taxes to this country that I would have been given an honorary citizenship many, many, many thousands of years ago.”

This isn’t the first instance where Nicki Minaj has addressed her immigrant status in the United States.

Six years ago, on June 21, 2018, the Barbie World rapper showed her support for immigrant rights by sharing a poignant image of immigrant children separated from their parents, sleeping on floor mattresses while unaware of their families’ wellbeing.

In her post, Nicki revealed her own background as an illegal immigrant when she moved to the US as a child, expressing that the situation and treatment of those children were “too scary.”

Nicki’s journey in the US was not free of challenges. She grew up in a household where her father struggled with drug addiction and domestic violence. In a February 2021 interview with People magazine, Minaj recounted the trauma she experienced, saying she heard “lots of screams”and witnessed “holes punched into the walls in anger.”She expressed:

“I was disappoint­ed in my father, I just wanted him to be Daddy and be the happy person that I re­membered, and I was afraid, very afraid, that something would happen to my moth­er. I had nightmares about it.”

However, over the years, both her father’s behavior and the relationship with her mother improved, a change attributed to her mother’s faith in God. The couple remained together and eventually found happiness until Robert Maraj tragically lost his life in a hit-and-run accident in February 2021.

Reflecting on their last conversation in an Apple Music interview in 2024, Nicki described it as a “happy”exchange, where he had plans to visit her in New York.

Minaj Announces the Release of Pink Friday 3 Instead of a Deluxe Version of Her Fifth Album

In another recent update, Nicki Minaj disclosed significant news regarding her upcoming album. Originally set to release the deluxe version of her fifth album on September 13, she changed her plans and shared with her fans just three days later that instead, she would be dropping a full-fledged album.

In a message to her followers on X last Monday, Minaj expressed:

“The new music is just too good to be thrown away on a deluxe album. Last night, the songs I recorded were just way too iconic.”

Additionally, she mentioned that the release date for Pink Friday 3 would be announced in the coming weeks.

Source

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *