Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (née Maraj; born December 8, 1982), known professio… Read Full Bio ↴Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (née Maraj; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj (/ˈnɪki mɪˈnɑːʒ/ NIK-ee min-AHZH), is a Trinidadian-born[a] rapper, singer, and songwriter. Often referred to as the "Queen of Rap", she is known for her musical versatility, animated rap flow, and various alter egos. She first gained recognition after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009. Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday (2010), topped the US Billboard 200 chart; its single "Super Bass" reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was later certified diamond by the RIAA. Its follow-up, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), explored dance-pop and topped the Billboard 200, spawning the hit single “Starships”. Her next album, The Pinkprint (2014), marked a return to her hip hop roots. Its single "Anaconda" peaked at number two on the Hot 100 and became the first music video by a solo female rapper to reach one billion views on YouTube. Her 2019 collaboration with Karol G, "Tusa", became the longest-running number-one single on the Argentina Hot 100 chart. She achieved her first two US number-one singles in 2020 with the collaborations "Say So (Remix)" with Doja Cat and "Trollz" with 6ix9ine. In 2022, she earned her first solo number one on the Hot 100 with "Super Freaky Girl", the lead single from her fifth album, Pink Friday 2 (2023), which also debuted atop the Billboard 200.

Minaj is one of the best-selling music artists with 100 million records sold worldwide.[7] Billboard ranked her as the top-selling female rapper of the 2010s and one of the greatest rappers of all time.[8][9] She is the only female rapper to have 3 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 chart.

Hood Story
Nicki Minaj Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lemme tell a lil' story about this dude I knew
He said he used to go to school out in L.I.U
He said he'd make me a bet
He'd own his own jet
And he'd show me the city
From a bird's eye view
Said he came from Jamaica
He had a lil' paper

He owned a couple acres
And then I caught the vapors
That's how we got together
On the bike
Late night
Kawasaki leathers
He used to wine and dine me
Dom and sex
And we be arm and armor
Mani dress
See I ain't need a leprechaun
Or four leaf clover
I jus woke up one morning
And he copped the Rover
See I knew about them girls he had back then
But I was getting money I ain't care bout them
Because they was getting G's
I had N's
I used to split my dividends with all my friends
Cause I was in the lounge
They was in the Greyhound
Like in and out of town
Moving coke by the pound like
Guess it didn't sound right
Cause them bitches was mad
Started plotting
Trying to get what I had
See my homegirl Teisha
Said that Keisha with the real black lips
Used to smoke that reefer
Some bitch named Dawn
Used to fuck LaiQwan
And Alicia with the chinky eyes
Used to be with freaky Ty
Lived across the street
From this nigga named Tiki Diamond
Yeah, chicken noodle bitches
Like a pack of Ramen
They had it out for me
Kidnapped my brother
At the rucker
Cause he used to put it down for me

[Talking: Nicki Minaj]
Oh my god they caught Brandon
I got his picture in the mail
He was rocking a Vanson
The note said bitch

We got surveillance on the mansion
And we gonna need 30 million for the ransom

Overall Meaning

In the song Hood Story, Nicki Minaj tells a story about a man she meets who claims to have attended Long Island University and who promises her a luxurious lifestyle, including a view of the city from his own jet. He reveals that he is from Jamaica and owns some land. Nicki starts a relationship with him despite knowing that he has other girlfriends, but she is not bothered because she has her own money. Her friends, on the other hand, are envious of her lifestyle and begin to plot against her. They kidnap her brother and demand a ransom of 30 million dollars. The song is essentially a commentary on Nicki's personal experiences growing up in Queens, New York, and dealing with guys who were involved in street life.

The song features a mellow beat and a catchy chorus. Nicki's flow is smooth and confident, showcasing her ability to tell a compelling story through rap. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the dangers of street life and the allure of fast money. The use of Jamaican patois throughout the song adds to its authenticity.

Line by Line Meaning

Lemme tell a lil' story about this dude I knew
Let me tell you a small story about a man I am associated with.

He said he used to go to school out in L.I.U
He claimed to have studied at L.I.U.

He said he'd make me a bet
He was confident enough to place a wager.

He'd own his own jet
He believed he would be wealthy enough to purchase a private jet.

And he'd show me the city, From a bird's eye view
He wanted to show me the city from an aerial perspective.

Said he came from Jamaica, He had a lil' paper
He supposedly hailed from Jamaica and had some money.

He owned a couple acres, And then I caught the vapors
He owned some land, and I was impressed by it.

That's how we got together, On the bike, Late night, Kawasaki leathers
We got together on a bike ride at night, both wearing Kawasaki leathers.

He used to wine and dine me, Dom and sex
He would entertain me with fine dining, champagne, and sexual activities.

And we be arm and armor, Mani dress
We were always seen together and I would dress up for him.

See I ain't need a leprechaun, Or four leaf clover
I didn't need luck to find money and success.

I jus woke up one morning, And he copped the Rover
One day I woke up, and he had bought a Range Rover.

See I knew about them girls he had back then, But I was getting money I ain't care bout them
I was aware of other women he was with, but I didn't care because I was making money.

Because they was getting G's, I had N's
Those other women were getting thousands, but I was making millions.

I used to split my dividends with all my friends
I would share my earnings with my friends.

Cause I was in the lounge, They was in the Greyhound
I was relaxing in a lounge, while they were traveling by bus.

Like in and out of town, Moving coke by the pound like
Those women were traveling frequently, and dealing cocaine in large quantities.

Guess it didn't sound right, Cause them bitches was mad
Perhaps it sounded wrong because those women were jealous of me.

Started plotting, Trying to get what I had
They began planning to take away what I had earned.

See my homegirl Teisha, Said that Keisha with the real black lips Used to smoke that reefer
My friend Teisha told me that a woman named Keisha, known for her dark lips, smoked marijuana.

Some bitch named Dawn, Used to fuck LaiQwan, And Alicia with the chinky eyes Used to be with freaky Ty
A woman named Dawn used to have sex with someone named LaiQwan, while a woman named Alicia with slanted eyes was with someone named Freaky Ty.

Lived across the street, From this nigga named Tiki Diamond
They lived across the street from a man named Tiki Diamond.

Yeah, chicken noodle bitches, Like a pack of Ramen
Those women were weak and foolish, like a pack of Ramen noodles.

They had it out for me, Kidnapped my brother, At the rucker
Those women were vengeful and ended up kidnapping my brother at a basketball court.

Cause he used to put it down for me
They took him because he was associated with me.

Oh my god they caught Brandon, I got his picture in the mail, He was rocking a Vanson
I was shocked to receive a picture of my brother, Brandon, wearing a Vanson jacket after he was captured.

The note said bitch, We got surveillance on the mansion, And we gonna need 30 million for the ransom
The kidnappers sent me a message, claiming that they had surveillance on my home, and demanded a $30 million ransom for my brother's release.

Contributed by Lincoln F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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