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Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 13 — Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is our No. 13 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century for bursting through all ceilings and doors for hip-hop and pop stardom in the 2010s.
Whether you know, love or tolerate her as Harajuku Barbie, Roman Zolanski, Chun-Li, Queen Sleeze or Martha (may she rest in peace) — few figures in 21st century popular music and culture (or hip-hop history in general) can compare to the towering impact and immense talent of Nicki Minaj. Before Pink Friday arrived in its entirety on Nov. 22, 2010, Minaj built up her notoriety through a series of knockout guest verses – Trey Songz’s “Bottoms Up,” Usher’s “Lil Freak,” Sean Kingston’s “Letting Go” and a Grammy-nominated turn on Ludacris’ “My Chick Bad” — that established her as the go-to artist to inject a singular mixture of camp and sex appeal on virtually any song. Naturally, an album that bears an honorific as its title missing the top spot and earning a smaller debut than Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy(2018) was far from ideal – and Minaj spent the following weeks casting blame on everyone from her record label to Billboard, streaming services, Travis Scott, Irving Azoff and even Stormi Webster.
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