Nicki Minaj has come a long way with her versatility in rapping. She has brought new changes to the new generation of rap singers, for which the youngsters have loved her style and performances so much.
Her fans are always curious about her personal life. Some people think she is from Japan due to her interest in the animated looks of Japanese anime…but is Nicki Minaj Japanese?
Her rap talent has made her the best-selling female rapper globally, with more than 100 million records sold all over the world.
Her lesser-known talent is that she is also a voice artist and has voiced many famous animated characters such as those found in Ice Age 2, the Angry Birds movies, etc. Nonetheless, we will learn more about her origin below.
Nicki Minaj’s Origin
Nicki Minaj or Onika Tanya Maraj was born in Port of Spain in Saint James district, Trinidad and Tobago.
She was born to her Indo-Trinidadian father, Robert Maraj, and Afro-Trinidadian mother, Carol Maraj.
However, she was raised and brought up in Queens in New York City. Since her father is Indo-Trinidadian, Nicki is a quarter Indian, and she shares her love for Indian food and provides charity to Indian Villages. From all these instances and Nicki’s parents, we now know her origins.
Why does everyone assume Nicki is Japanese?
Once on social media, some of Nicki’s fans claimed that her great-grandfather originated from Japan. However, it is a false and unexplained claim which Nicki never clarified.
The assumption was raised based on Nicki’s love for Japanese culture and style. However, in one of her interviews, she said that she loves to watch Japanese anime and wants to highlight Japanese culture and art more in her songs.
Also, she often wears Japanese-style clothing and outfits. At the 2017 met gala, Nicki gracefully pulled off a Japanese kimono dress. Not only does Nicki love Japan, but Japanese people love Nicki too.
They have translated many of her albums into the Japanese language to enjoy the world-class rapper’s songs.
The rapper received much appreciation and honor from Japan when she was featured on the cover photo of Japanese Vogue Magazine in 2018.
The Japanese love her style and see her as a fashion icon, and they appreciate that Nicki is reflecting Japanese culture in her art.
Final Thoughts
So, now you know that Nicki Minaj is not Japanese, nor does she have any roots in Japan. None of her close or even extended family is from Japan.
She loves Japan and its culture, and there is nothing wrong or unusual to love a country you are not from. I hope this has cleared your confusion regarding the rapper’s origin.