Onika Tanya Maraj, better known to fans and critics as Nicki Minaj, is a queen in her own right. Without a doubt, she is one of the most successful female rappers of all time. Stepping onto the stage a decade ago, Nicki has kept her head in the game, releasing hit after hit. Her chart-topping single releases, worldwide tours, notable collaborations, business ventures, and numerous endorsements serve to keep her afloat moneywise. At an estimated net worth of $85 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, she is more than financially comfortable.
Thank You, Lil Wayne!
Admittedly, Minaj has come a long way ever since Lil Wayne signed her to his Young Money Entertainment label in 2009. She now makes loads of cash from her music, while collaborating with other players in the game as well as featuring in some of their tracks.
By September 2018, the songstress had sold 20 million singles and 5 million albums worldwide. Beauty and a Beat and Bang Bang by Justin Beiber and Jessie J. and Ariana Grande respectively featured Minaj and topped multiple Billboard charts. In Kanye West’s Monster, which she also featured in, she was allegedly earned $50,000 for a verse. Despite a drop in sales recently, her multiple albums continue to rack up the dough for her. Her latest one Queen, however, did not perform as well as she had hoped. Still, Nicki delights in the earnings it is making.
Nicki’s fans already know that the Anaconda hitmaker thrives on going on tour. For her, tours have been a very profitable venture, which is probably why she pours out her heart and soul while on stage. In 2015, the Pinkprint Tour made a whopping $13 million, comfortably placing it at the top of that year’s highest-grossing tours list.
Thinking Wide
As a money-minded entrepreneur would do, she supplements earnings from her tours with numerous private acts. Going by TMZ reports, Nicki earned $50,000 for an appearance at “Moneybag” Floyd Mayweather’s daughter birthday party. For performing at a Bar Mitzvah party in 2015, Newsweek reports that she earned anywhere between $300,000 to $500,000. Sitting in as a judge at the singing competition show American Idol also lined her pockets handsomely, where she took home a reported $12 million package.
Nicki Minaj has also taken a shot at acting, appearing on The Other Woman in 2014, and in 2016’s the Barbershop: The Next Cut. Although it is unclear how much she was paid, the assumption is that it was a relatively handsome payday on either occasion, seeing as the films grossed $196 million and $55 million worldwide respectively.
Similar to other successful artists, Minaj has also ventured into business, owning the perfumes Minajesty, Minajesty Exotic Edition, Onika, Pink Friday, and others totaling up to nine lines. Additionally, she holds a 3% stake in Jay-Z’s $600 million Tidal streaming service. Nicki also made millions by collaborating with Pepsi (in 2012), in addition to lucrative dealings with Beats by Dre, OPI, and Adidas.
