How Nicki Minaj Went Beyond Music To Unapologetically Climb Her Way To A $100M Fortune
Photo Credit: Frazer Harrison

How Nicki Minaj Went Beyond Music To Unapologetically Climb Her Way To A $100M Fortune

Bernadette Giacomazzo

Bernadette Giacomazzo.
Dec 8, 2021.

Nicki Minaj is the world’s richest female rapper.

Love her or hate her, she still makes her money, and that’s a good thing. 

According to Audacy, Nicki Minaj charges $250,000 for just a guest verse, meaning that she cleans house each time her voice appears on a hit song.

And that’s just the beginning of the power of her influence. As AfroTech previously reported, just posting a pair of her pink Crocs caused the popular shoes to spike in sales exponentially — even though she didn’t have a formal partnership with the brand at the time.

“According to Google Trends, “pink Crocs” and “Nicki Minaj Crocs” became the breakout searches of the internet, and fans reportedly crashed the retailer’s website with their searches as well,” we reported while adding that as of May 2021, Minaj is not an official partner of the shoe brand.

With such power and influence, it’s no wonder that Celebrity Net Worth revealed that her current net worth is $100 million. But even at last year’s previous net worth of $85 million, she is still the wealthiest female rapper in the world.

We stan a female force of nature, and Nicki Minaj is definitely that. Let’s take a look at the myriad of ways she’s made her money.

Editorial note: The net worth listed in this piece is a speculative estimate drawn from a variety of online sources.

Music

Photo Credit: Leon Bennett

Since being signed in 2009, Nicki Minaj has built her fortune on Billboard-topping hits and millions of album sales. Across countless mixtape tracks, A-list features, sold-out tours, and four platinum-selling studio albums — some of her biggest hits have included 2012’s “Starships” and, more recently, 2018’s “Chun Li.”

Film and Television

Photo Credit: FOX

As she heated up the charts, Minaj made numerous appearances on TV and film.

In 2013, Minaj earned $12 million as a judge on season 12 of “American Idol,” according to Yahoo.

“One thing I learned along the way in business is the necessity for you to be unapologetic about asking for how much money you deserve,” she told TIME, who named her one of 2016’s most influential people.

Endorsements

Photo Credit: Dave M. Benett

According to Insider, a portion of Minaj’s wealth has been accumulated through ceiling-shattering endorsement deals.

In 2012, the Hip-Hop mogul signed a seven-figure deal with Pepsi to debut a new beverage. In the same year, she collected millions with brands such as Beats By Dre, M·A·C Cosmetics, and adidas. Each partnership helped the songwriter soar into a larger tax bracket.

Starting with her first perfume, Pink Friday, released in 2012, she has debuted nine scents to date.

Of her deal with M·A·C Cosmetics, Business Insider also reports that her Viva Glam lipstick with the brand was the best-selling color of all time.

Investments in TIDAL

Photo Credit: Laura Cavanaugh

Minaj’s investment in TIDAL has paid off nicely for her. According to Business Insider, she owned a 3 percent stake in the company. When, according to AfroTech, Jay-Z sold TIDAL to Square for $302 million, she continued to hold a shareholder stake in the company, along with a music industry who’s who of investors that included Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Madonna.