Roddy Ricch, whose given name is Roderick Wayne Jr., has emerged victorious in a two-year legal battle surrounding his chart-topping hit song, “The Box.”

Rapper IDK — whose moniker is short for “Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge” — has experienced a major transformation in his music journey of going from being incarcerated to signing with a major record label. His struggle to find his life’s purpose has led him to being a successful artist/producer. Now, he wants to ensure other rising artists don’t have to go through similar circumstances to follow their dreams. In an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone, the 28-year-old Maryland rapper announced the launch of No Label Academy — a 10-day music business crash course at Harvard University curated for aspiring industry leaders with no prior experience or exposure. “The idea started when I realized how my situation had a lot to do with the odds being against me,” IDK told Rolling Stone. “I, being a felon and having minimal education in terms of certifications, was still finding a way to create a career that’s not only lucrative, but in line with what I actually wanted to do in life.”...

This year, multidisciplinary artist Nicki Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj, has hit several milestones in both her career and personal life. Minaj and her worldwide fanbase — known as “The Barbz” — celebrated the birth of her first child, as well as the 10 year anniversary of the release of her debut album, “ Pink Friday .” With over a decade under her belt as a pioneer in female rap music, let’s take a look at how the Trinidadian-American rapper built her empire. Celebrity Net Worth recorded Nicki Minaj’s net worth as over $80 million. In addition to her musical success, Minaj derives her income from touring, personal appearances and performances, film and television, and endorsement deals. Her journey began in 2009 when the Queens rapper released her infamous mixtape “ Beam Me Up Scotty” which featured the hit song “ Itty Bitty Piggy” that put the lyricist on the map. That year she also signed to Lil Wayne’s record label Young Money Entertainment and eventually released “ Pink...