41 Of Nicki Minaj's Best Beauty Moments

“It’s Barbie, b****!” Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, as we call icons by their full name, has been the Head Barbie In Charge (HBIC) since birth, 42 years ago today. She has since been crowned the “Queen Of Rap” with a ferocious gaggle of Barbs posted up behind her. As the first female rapper to sign with Young Money Entertainment in 2009, Minaj’s debut hit album Pink Friday had its full circle moment today. On her birthday, she takes us to #GagCity with the sequel to the album that gave her her name – Pink Friday 2.

And to back up Minaj’s artistry? She joins hip-hop with playful beauty. Remember her blue kinky wig and yellow eyeshadow for the Late Show With David Letterman in 2010? From her Bride of Frankenstein wigs to signature asymmetrical cut with thick, bumped bangs (see her multicolored wig at her Pink Friday lipstick launch in 2010), it’s clear she has a look for every alter ego. 

But after 2012, she went from Harajuku Barbie– with doll-like lashes and pink-tipped blonde wigs at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in 2011– to a porcelain doll with a long black wig and glass-like skin at Tidal X in 2016. Although her look took on more neutral tones in the late 2010s (like her black streaks on wet blonde hair at the 2018 Harper’s BAZAAR ICONS Party), her signature cat eye and rabid personas continue to hold her at the helm of the rap industry. As for her most recent looks? The icon unveiled a sharp wing with pink glitter shadow to host the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards– which we’re still drooling over.

Below, ESSENCE honors Nicki Minaj with 41 of her most shocking beauty looks of all time for her 42nd birthday.