The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Nicki Minaj

With record-breaking album sales and chart performance to her name, you might think this female rap phenom's life has been nothing but blessed. Her childhood, however, was truly scary and her young adult life was also marred by pain and heartbreak. This is the tragic real-life story of Nicki Minaj. When she was just five years old, Nicki Minaj left her native Trinidad to move to the U.S. but the American dream she had built up in her mind was far from the reality awaiting her. First, she was left in Trinidad to be raised by her grandmother. As Minaj explained in her 2010 MTV News documentary, Nicki Minaj: My Time Now, it's typical for people from the islands to send for their children once they've established themselves in the United States, though it took longer than she expected. "I thought it was gonna be for a few days, it turned into two years without my mother." Once she finally did join her parents, she was in for another harsh surprise, admitting - "I thought it was gonna be like a castle. Like white picket fence, like a fairy tale." Instead, she arrived at a home far from her expectations. Her first impression of New York also shook her. "I remember the smell. I could always remember the smell when I got out of the airport of the snow, and I had never seen snow." Watch this video for more about the tragic real life story of Nicki Minaj. #NickiMinaj #TragicLifeStory Gritty reality | 0:00 Trying to protect her mother | 1:18 Her dad was a terror | 2:09 The situation got worse | 3:18 A teen pregnancy | 4:07 Convinced 'love had to hurt' | 5:10 Was Meek Mill physically abusive? | 6:23 Her husband's scary criminal past | 7:24 Her experiences made her stronger | 8:33