--- title: Nicki Minaj Gets Key to Queens description: The "No Frauds" rapper received an honorary key to her hometown borough this week, celebrating her accomplishments in music. canonical: https://time.com/4834640/nicki-minaj-key-queens/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-27T15:27:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:20:28.918Z og:title: Major Key Alert: Nicki Minaj Is Truly the Queen of Queens og:description: She's been awarded an honorary key to her hometown borough og:url: https://time.com/4834640/nicki-minaj-key-queens/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb28255bbc054be1/6988d376cf40a8a557c484ec/nicki-minaj-nba.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2306 og:image:height: 1297 og:image:alt: 2017 NBA Awards Live On TNT - Inside og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Major Key Alert: Nicki Minaj Is Truly the Queen of Queens twitter:description: She's been awarded an honorary key to her hometown borough twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb28255bbc054be1/6988d376cf40a8a557c484ec/nicki-minaj-nba.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Major Key Alert: Nicki Minaj Is Officially the Queen of Queens > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=69af9f6f-3c48-4571-933a-e8d55e499271&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME 100: Nicki Minaj [Watch (HLS stream): TIME 100: Nicki Minaj](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/TPuz6I2B.m3u8) (2:41)  _Published 2017-05-08. MONEY_  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Jun 27, 2017 3:27 PM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Jun 27, 2017 3:27 PM UTC Nicki Minaj has always [considered herself a generous queen](http://time.com/4813059/nicki-minaj-remy-ma-2-chainz-realize/). But now she can even more officially lay claim to that kind of royal title, thanks to her hometown of Queens, New York. On Monday, the “No Frauds” rapper and iconic performer was awarded an honorary key to the city of Queens from the borough’s president, Melinda Katz, for her “outstanding career achievements in music.” Minaj polished her performance skills [early on as a student](http://people.com/tv/nicki-minaj-acted-in-high-school-watch-the-dramatic-scene-stealer-as-a-teen/) at the famous La Guardia High School of Music and Art in Queens before launching her rap career and linking up with her Young Money counterparts [Drake and Lil Wayne](http://time.com/4746706/nicki-minaj-drake-lil-wayne-no-frauds-video/). Since then, Minaj has gone on to become the [highest-charting female rapper](http://www.billboard.com/artist/312259/nicki-minaj/biography) of all time. And while on Sunday she did not win the BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (that went [to her Bronx rival](http://ew.com/music/2017/06/26/remy-ma-disses-nicki-minaj-bet-awards/), Remy Ma), Minaj has taken home that prize every other year for the last seven years running. She shared her royal update on Instagram, calling the new accolade a “pleasant surprise.” And although she wasn’t at the ceremony in person to receive this new addition to her handbag, she did note that she was interested in meeting with Katz. It’s likely she couldn’t make it because she was preparing for her performance at Monday night’s [inaugural NBA Awards](http://www.complex.com/music/2017/06/nicki-minaj-remy-ma-disses-nba-awards), where she owned the stage in a lavish, queen-worthy costume and [paraded in](https://www.instagram.com/p/BV1ElHThxjb/?taken-by=nickiminaj) on a throne-like bed held aloft by male dancers. Her fans on the internet loved it. > [](https://twitter.com/PummieTheHippie/status/879460513490587648) > [](https://twitter.com/CeeXMaraj/status/879468856548499457) > [](https://twitter.com/MINAJ%5FJAMES/status/879468303248445440) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] I think before I could remember wanting to do anything else, I knew I wanted to be in charge. [ MUSIC ] As a child my mother didn't have a job where she was the boss. And I always looked at that and wished that she was the boss and that she did make her own rules. So from very early on I felt like you know what, whatever I do one day, I want to be more in charge. Of my business. Two of the things that I wanted to leave behind was that I like my own raps. A man doesn't have to write down your thoughts. You're intelligent enough to write down your own thoughts. And number two, I would become a mogul. It's Nicki Minaj, dirty money how let you girl. Thanks for the love, I really do appreciate Appreciate it. I exceeded every expectation, I think, people had for a rapper. I think black women are held to higher standards. A lot of pop culture takes from black culture and, oftentimes, doesn't really say they got it from black culture. Magazines are acting like they're just being done for the first time because it's on a white woman's head or it's on a white woman's body. And you have to Get used to living in a world that doesn't even acknowledge that you did certain things. It's Hood Fierce and Nicki Minaj. 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. At a very early stage in my rap career I was making six figures. For shows. If I heard there was another rapper making that, I thought, you know what, I get out there and command a crowd. I get out there and make my fans happy. I want that too. And I think women have the tendency to feel that they shouldn't ask to be compensated as much as man doing the same exact thing. If you know you're great at what you do Don't ever be ashamed to ask for the top dollar in your field. [ MUSIC ] I actually remixed Flawless with Beyonc ��. Whenever I do something with her, I can feel the impact. It just feels like young women are being empowered and inspired. Because I think it says a lot when you see two young women at the top of their [ UNKNOWN ] whether they're black or white. It just means a lot when you see them owning who they are. And owning the business. And owning the industry. Not taking no for an answer and not being apologetic for who they are. I think that it inspires women. Young, old, black, white, whatever. 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