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The Many Alter Egos of Nicki Minaj

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ohio U chapter.

When you think of female rapper Nicki Minaj, provocative lyrics, kicking curves, far-out outfits, and an in your face attitude probably come to mind. Although all of these characteristics make up Minaj, thereā€™s a lot more to her than one may think. The crazy girl you see on stage is one of the many personas of Nicki.
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Minaj creates alter egos for herself depending on the situation she is in. On stage, sheā€™s Nicki Minaj. At home sheā€™s Onika Maraj (her birth name). What keeps fans, like myself, hooked on the superstar is that you never know what youā€™re going to get with her.
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The first of her many egos was Cookie- relating to some of her first rap lyrics: ā€œCookie is the name, chocolate chip is the flavorā€¦ā€ The second was Harajuku Barbie, which she mentions in a few of her earliest songs often stating ā€œitā€˜s Barbieā€œ with a platinum Barbie chain around her neck. Now, Nicki Minaj has evolved into a world renowned female rapper.
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Along with her early egos, Minaj has more recent personas she takes on when rapping and performing.
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Roman, her ā€œtwin sisterā€ is who Nicki becomes when she is angry. Minaj says that Roman was born inside of her. Roman did a duet with Slim Shady (Eminemā€™s alter ego) on the song Romanā€™s Revenge. Roman is Nickiā€™s crazy, angry side.
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Along with Roman, her mother is also one of Minajā€™s alter egos. Martha has a British accent and is like Minajā€™s magical godmother. Martha is also featured in Romanā€™s Revenge as well as other songs on Nickiā€™s album, Pink Friday.
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Not only do Nickiā€™s personalities appear in her lyrics and performances, new ones emerge depending on what sheā€™s up to that day.
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Nicki Teresa appeared one day in New York wearing a head scarf. Her goal was to ā€œheal her fansā€. George Lopez had a surprise guest when Nicki appeared on his show, Lopez Tonight. Rosa (pronounced Rrrrrrrosa) was Minajā€™s alter ego for her appearance on the show.
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The next time you hear a song with Nicki Minaj in it, take a minute to think about who you could actually be hearing. Is it Roman, Martha, Nicki, or Onika? These changing personas are what keep fans and the media hooked on Minajā€™s every move. With her, you never know what youā€™re going to expect. This is why she is the number one female rapper in the world right now.
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Photo courtesy of : http://intps.us/entertainment-quotes/new-nicki-minaj-songs-2.html

Junior Journalism major and Junior editor at Ohio University.
Hillary Johns is a Senior at Ohio University majoring in magazine journalism in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, with a split specialization in French and sociology. She is beyond excited to be a part of the Her Campus Team! She can often be found with her nose stuck in a book, most likely Harry Potter, or writing her own adventures. Hillary has a deep love of travelling and her favorite place in the world in Boston, MA. She hopes to someday pursue a career in communications and journalism.