Nicki Minaj is a rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and model extraordinaire - but that's not all. Minaj also has one of the most iconic looks in music history. You'd recognize her anywhere!
Which makes her latest Madame Tussauds waxwork all the more baffling. Scroll on to see the horrific effigy - and the best of the internet's reactions.
Who is Nicki Minaj?
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For those who've been living under a rock, let's take a little walk down memory lane. Come with me on a journey to the past. All the way back to 2009.In 2009, Minaj was discovered by rapper Lil Wayne.
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Wayne signed her to his Young Money Entertainment and soon after, Minaj was featured on Yo Gotti's "5 Star B*tch." Soon after, she was featured on smash hits "BedRock" and "Roger That," which both charted on Billboard's Hot 100, cementing Minaj as a titan of the rap game.In 2010, Minaj released her first album.
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It was titled Pink Friday and it debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 list. The album, while still very hip-hop focused, was more pop-forward than many of her fans expected. This crossover helped her gain fans from all over the musical spectrum and kept her songs on Top 40 radio.In 2011, she toured with Britney Spears on her "Femme Fatale" tour.
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That same year Minaj had an embarrassing nip slip on Good Morning America. Even though she apologized for the incident, the Parents Television Council came after her.Luckily, the year wasn't all bad.
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Minaj was nominated for three Grammy Awards that December, and despite not winning, she was nominated and won an MTV VMA Award for Best Hip-Hop Video for her song "Super Bass."In 2012, arguably her biggest hit was released.
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"Starships" was played on literally every radio station ever for what felt like an eternity. That's not just my opinion, it's scientific. You couldn't get into an elevator, wait in a waiting room, or shop for groceries without hearing "Starships were made to fly-y-y-y-y-y-y!!!"Â that year.Based on that success, Minaj headlined her own tour through 2012.
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But scandal never traveled far behind her. In October of that year, a video leaked that showed Minaj in a fight with songstress Mariah Carey during the American Idol auditions. According to sources, Carey accused Minaj of saying, "If I had a gun, I would shoot that b*tch," but Minaj denied saying it. Carey doubled down, saying that Minaj had created an "unsafe work environment" and called in her security team for backup. Then, Carey claimed Minaj didn't have a number 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 during a live broadcast, and that, apparently, was Minaj's limit. Soon after, both women left the show for good.In 2013, Minaj made her first foray into acting by co-starring in a movie with Cameron Diaz.
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The Other Woman was directed by Nick Cassavetes and written by Melissa Stack. Minaj played Cameron Diaz's assistant, Lydia. The film also starred Leslie Mann and Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton.Her next album, The Pinkprint, was released on December 15th, 2014.
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It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 but the album was plagued by scandal, the biggest of which surrounded the music video for her song "Only." According to the Anti Defamation League, the video contained all kinds of Nazi-related imagery that was insensitive for Holocaust survivors. Yikes.Despite the backlash, she starred in Barbershop: The Next Cut in 2015, alongside Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, and Eve.
In 2017, Minaj was featured on Jason (I dare you not to sing his name out loud) Derulo's single, "Swalla."
The song became a monster hit, topping the charts at home and internationally. The next month, Minaj officially became a model after signing with the prestigious modeling agency, Wilhelmina. Yes, girl. Get that money!In March of the same year, she pulled a boss move...
Minaj released 3 of her singles all at once and subsequently broke the record for most Billboard Hot 100 entries for a female artist in history. The record was previously held by Aretha Franklin!By now, everyone was awaiting Minaj's fourth album with bated breath, but it kept getting pushed back again, and again...
And again. She kept announcing the changes on her Instagram account, but no one knew why. Finally, the day before the album's release, Minaj launched her Beats 1 radio show, Queen Radio. Suddenly the timing all made sense.In 2019, she surprised audiences by appearing onstage with Ariana Grande at Coachella during "Side to Side" and "Bang Bang."
Everything seemed to be going well. Minaj announced her fifth album on Jimmy Fallon, telling him "You're the first to find out... of course there's a new album."And alongside her illustrious musical career?
Well, there's something else Minaj is well known for. She has an instantly recognizable and totally iconic look.Minaj has never been afraid of color.
She's rarely seen without a bright or pastel toned wig, and wears gorgeously vibrant makeup.And that's not all.
If there's one thing Minaj's look is most famous for, it has to be that incredible butt.So you'd think a waxwork of the star would be pretty easy.
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She's quickly recognized and has a bunch of easy to hit reference points to create a convincing lookalike. Or so we thought ... Because this week, waxwork giant Madame Tussauds unveiled their latest Minaj-a-like - and people were not impressed.It's not the first time they've missed the mark.
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This Beyonce effigy caused massive controversy when it was launched, with some accusing the company of whitewashing the star.Or how about this?
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We don't know about you, but this Zac Efron will forever haunt our nightmares.And Minaj's waxwork is the latest to add to the list of shame.
Remember her incredible (and provocative) video "Anaconda?" Well, the waxwork is supposed to depict Minaj in this get-up.Complete with serious butt action.
If you haven't seen the video, let's just say Minaj's rear has a starring role.There's just one problem?
The waxwork is so poorly done that it's basically unrecognizable as Minaj.And it seems the internet agrees.
Wait... y’all see Nicki Minaj wax figure? I- https://t.co/7IqKbpdBhp— plies new teef. 🦷 (@plies new teef. 🦷)1578421595.0
Jokes were quickly made.
me looking at nicki minaj wax figure https://t.co/bXK67x5tv8— ッ (@ッ)1578421917.0
Some had their suspicions.
me looking at nicki minaj wax figure https://t.co/bXK67x5tv8— ッ (@ッ)1578421917.0
People were quick to point out lookalikes.
We actually think Kourtney Kardashian would be pretty pleased with this.Other's saw something different.
@PopCrave @NICKIMINAJ That's princess Anne's head surely— Dr Dawn (@Dr Dawn)1578433653.0
This one is a little less flattering.
@Complex Looks like Alex Rodriguez 😂 https://t.co/ZSLFejjUWa— ICEMAN (@ICEMAN)1578425896.0
And some had a prediction.
If we were Nicki, we'd have beef with this waxwork, too.And some have gone a step further.
They're accusing Madame Tussauds are trying to make Minaj look whiter.They're calling it a racial issue.
I don’t know how but that Nicki Minaj wax figure is absolutely racism. 😠https://t.co/qFjk89wyRn— STIMMY NEUTRON (@STIMMY NEUTRON)1578420979.0
Here are the pictures that got the whole internet talking.
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Let's begin with the obvious - there's no way that's a Nicki Minaj derriere.We're eagerly awaiting Minaj's response.
I can’t stand Nicki... but that wax figure was straight disrespectful 💀💀— Khalid 🦅 (@Khalid 🦅)1578422471.0