Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, professionally known as Nicki Minaj, was born on December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, and moved to Queens, New York, at age five. She began her professional rapping career in the early 2000s, gaining recognition through three mixtapes released between 2007 and 2009. Minaj is widely recognized for her animated rap flow, musical versatility, and distinct alter egos, and is credited with driving the mainstream resurgence of female rap in the early 2010s.