Nicki_Minaj

Informative Speech Outline Topic: Nicki Minaj Central Purpose: To Inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about my favorite female artist, Nicki Minaj. Central Idea: Nicki Minaj is my favorite artist because she has overcome her background and her style and success in life overall. I. Introduction- She goes by the names, Nicki Lewinski, Nicki the Ninja, Nicki the Harajuku Barbie and of course Roman Zolanski. But you all may know her as Nicki Minaj. II. Nicki is known as the best female rapper that is taking over and adding a little spice to hip- hop. A. Some people love her while others loathe, but there is no denying the impact pop debutante Nicki Minaj has made on the charts. B. Her first album Pink Friday was a well publicized success which has now sold around two million copies worldwide, giving her every reason to celebrate. III. If you have not figured out yet, Nicki Minaj is my favorite female artist. I like the fact she has overcome her background and her unique style and successes in life overall. BODY I. Nicki Minaj overcame her background by making it out and being able to take care of her family and most of all her mother. A. Nicki Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1984 in Queens, New York faced some problems. 1. Her father was a severe drug addict with a long history of violence. a. At one point, her father set fire to the family’s home in a failed attempt to kill Nicki’s mother. b. Those early struggles, Minaj has said, helped fuel her drive to rise above the life her parents knew. 2. “I have always had this female empowerment thing in the back of my mind,” she told Details Magazine, “because I wanted my mother to be stronger, and she could not be. I thought if I’m successful, I can change her life.” B. Despite her hectic environment, Minaj went on to graduate from LaGuardia High School in Manhattan where she studied singing and acting. 1. She dedicated her free time to pursuing a potential music career. She started doing back up singing but came to realize that was not for her. 2. Minaj wanted to stand out more, from the average dime- a- dozen young aspiring singer and began writing raps. C. She was first noticed and signed on MySpace by Dirty Money CEO Fendi.. 1. Not too long after, Lil Wayne noticed Nicki and negotiated with Fendi immediately. 2. Wayne was convinced by not only her different style of raping, but her ability to write her own material. II. Nicki’s style and successes in life are unique and unlike no other artist. A. Her name Nicki Minaj originates from her real last name Maraj, Nicki boasts she started calling herself Minaj because she started “eating chicks,” with her vicious rap skills. 1. Nicki creates different personas for herself that will allow her to be a new person. 2. An early incarnation was someone she called “Cookie,” then came “Harajuku Barbie,” before finally settling on Nicki Minaj. 3. For Nicki’s debut album she created another alter- ego named “Roman Zolanski.” She stated that in her songs like ‘Bottoms Up” with Trey Songz it is not Nicki rapping, but instead Roman Zolanski. In songs such as “All I do is win (remix)” it is Nicki rapping. 4. Nicki also stated that on her debut album, fans will get to meet Nicki, Roman and Onika. B. Nicki’s style is unlike no other rap artist. 1. She obsessed with the color pink if you have not noticed. At a backstage interview at Good Morning America she told Sam Champion that, “Pink is a lifestyle. It makes me feel exhilarated, euphoric and free. It makes me feel unstoppable. When I see pink, it really does make me happy and brightens up my day.” And I totally agree. 2. Another fashion statement Nicki makes is wearing wigs of different colors, sometimes multi- colored. She states that wigs are a way to express various persons onstage. “This is my Harajuku Barbie wig. When I have a bob, I feel like a little sophisticated ladybug,” she says. “And it takes some umph to wear it.” 3. Nicki is definitely successful now days. a. As of October 23rd of this year, her single ‘Super Bass’ has sold over three million copies, making it the top- selling digital single by female hip- hop act. b. Extending its lead as the highest selling digital single to be released by a female rapper, the cut has received a number of beneficial promotional boosts in recent months. c. Nicki has collaborated with big time artists like Kanye West, Jay- Z and Lil Wayne which helped boost her career in many ways. She says it has been a dream come true to work with these artists. 4. Lastly, Nicki has some future things up her sleeve. a. Nicki will release a line of loud, colorful lacquers from OPI in the near future. b. There are six limited- edition colors all inspired by Nicki’s wacky, kaleidoscope, anything- goes sense of style. Some of the colors are called Did it on ‘Em which is a super bright shade of lime green and Save Me is a bottle of pink sheer silvery polish. III. Conclusion- All in all despite Nicki’s sky- high success, she continues to stay humble, by remembering her fans, which she calls her Barbies, or Barbs and they remain the core to her success. Like I stated before, Nicki Minaj is my favorite female artist because of her background and her style and successes in life. I believe she has achieved her goals in taking care of her family and most of all her mother. I have just informed you about my favorite artist Nicki Lewinski, Nicki the Ninja, Nicki the Harajuku Barbie, Cookie, Roman Zolanski, Nicki Minaj or Onika whatever you choose to call her. Bibliography Magsaysay, Melissa. Nicki Mina, OPI to release line of loud, colorful lacquers. Los Angeles Times. October 19, 2011. Sobie, Kylie. Nicki Minaj:5 things to know about ‘hip hop’s superwoman’.ABC News (Goodmorning America). August 5, 2011. W1. Nicki Minaj ‘Super Bass Sells Over 3 Million Copies. http://that grapejuice.net/2011/10/nicki-minajs-super-bass-sells-3-million-copies/. Oct. 27, 2011 W2. About Nicki Minaj. http://www.kovideo.net/nicki-minaj-biography-45142.html. 2006- 2011. Nicki Minaj. (20111). Biography.com. Retrieved 06:08, Oct. 30, 2011 from http://www.biography.com/people/nicki-minaj-579574. Nicki Minaj Biography. http://www.nationmasterencyclopedia.com/ . Retrieved 2000- 2011