They Overcame Rocky Childhoods

Nicki, Growing Up

Nicki Minaj the barbie or self-proclaimed best female rapper in the game didn’t always live in America. Even before she got to Queens, New York and had it hard, she was in Trinidad and Tobago living with her grandmother. Her mother had left her on the island when she five years old so that she could travel to find somewhere for them to live.

“A lot of times when you’re from the Islands, your parents leave and then send for you because it’s easier when they have established themselves; when they have a place to stay; when they have a job. I thought it was going to be for a few days, it turned into two years without my mother,” said Minaj.