Nicki Minaj has always considered herself a generous queen. 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 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. Since then, Minaj has gone on to become the highest-charting female rapper 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, 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, where she owned the stage in a lavish, queen-worthy costume and paraded in on a throne-like bed held aloft by male dancers.
Her fans on the internet loved it.
