Nicki Minaj

Born in the Caribbean and raised in Queens, New York, rapper/singer Nicki Minaj enjoyed a swift rise to fame thanks to a series of spotlight-stealing verses on tracks by some of pop and hip-hop's biggest names. In 2007, she released her first mixtape, which proceeded to quickly gain notice in underground circles throughout New York City. It didn't take long for rapper Lil Wayne to pickup on Minaj's talents, and soon she was working on a 2010 debut album that would feature collaborations with the likes of Drake, Rihanna and Eminem. Besides possessing a strong voice and a creative sense of wordplay in her lyrics, perhaps the most interesting aspects of Minaj's music are her regular attempts to play with the idea of identity. Whether on stage, on record or in interviews, she will switch voices, accents or characters at moment's notice, managing to maintain cohesive traits for each. When these personality splits work their way into her music, Minaj takes on a somewhat crazed, off-the-cuff feel that is all too rare in top-selling pop stars of the modern era.