Meet Nicki Minaj’s sister Ming Maraj: Age, Height, Parents, Dating
Ming Maraj
Barbz – the name given to rapper Nicki Minaj’s loyal and somewhat overzealous fanbase around the world – are more than familiar with the Maraj clan, but most people have no idea who Ming Maraj is.
Born on 7th January 2006 in New York State, USA, Ming is the youngest sister of the award-winning “Superbass” musician, and enjoys a relatively private lifestyle despite her controversial family. The micro-influencer is 5ft 1in (155cm) tall and weighs 100lbs (45kgs).
Career
Ming’s current career is unknown, but as she’s only 18 years old, it’s possible that she’s focusing on her studies right now. In April 2022, Ming hinted that she was following in Nicki’s footsteps, after posting photos of her first-ever studio session. At the time, Ming thanked her manager and creative team for making it possible, and many netizens believed that she was looking to launch herself as a musician or influencer.
Since then, however, the New Yorker has contributed her vocals to just one track: namely, rapper Rakeem, Love’s “Do It Again”, so if Ming does wish to pursue a showbiz career, it may not be the best moment to do so.
Her older sister appears to have fallen out of favor with the general public and industry executives alike, after recently dissing rapper Megan Thee Stallion and mocking her deceased mother Holly, which we will discuss shortly.
From drug abuse allegations to a viral Grammy snub, 2024 hasn’t gotten off to a good start for the “Anaconda” rapper, who is also rumored to be warring behind the scenes with industry gatekeeper and Roc Nation founder Jay-Z, whose label just happens to be managing Megan.
As such, Ming is believed to have put her music ambitions on the backburner until the drama dies down, and it’s important to note that she goes by the moniker Ming Luan Li, perhaps preferring to distance herself from her problematic siblings.
Family
Nicki’s been in the public eye since the late 2000s thanks to her rap talents, but it wasn’t until 2013 that she mentioned that she had a younger sister named Ming. The musician also has two brothers named Jelani and Micaiah, as well as stepbrother Brandon Lamar.
Ming’s exact ethnicity is unknown: although we’re aware that Nicki’s parents, Robert and Carol Maraj, are Indo-Trinidadian and African-Italian respectively, Ming is actually Nicki’s half-sibling on her father’s side. There was some confusion when fans mistakenly believed that Carol was Ming’s mother, which later turned out not to be the case; the identity of Ming’s mother has yet to be revealed.
Robert, who was killed in a hit-and-run in February 2021, was far from an ideal father. During Nicki and Jelani’s childhoods, he struggled with drug addiction, and would even sell the family’s furniture to fund his vices. Although Carol was working as a nurse’s aide at the time, her paycheck wasn’t enough to cover everything, so the family’s financial situation was definitely a precarious one.
The Maraj clan settled down in the New York neighborhood of Queens when Nicki was just five years old. As Robert’s addiction worsened, he became abusive towards Carol and once even tried to burn the family house down; luckily, none of his children were at home that night. It’s unclear whether Micaiah had been born when the incident took place, as he was born in 1998, whereas Jelani and Nicki were born in 1978 and 1982 respectively.
All things considered, Nicki’s childhood and adolescence were difficult times which she overcame thanks to her tenacious spirit. After being accepted into Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, she initially dreamed of becoming an actress; however, she struggled to land roles after graduation, and was even fired from over a dozen waitressing and customer service jobs for being difficult to work with.
In 2004, Nicki briefly signed to Brooklyn group Full Force but left due to creative differences. Her next tactic was using Myspace to promote her artistry and sending demo tapes to people who worked in the music entertainment.
Aged 25, the rapper signed a 180-day deal with Fendi, the CEO of Dirty Money Entertainment, and released her first mixtape, “Playtime Is Over”. A couple of years later, she was discovered by rap icon Lil Wayne, and signed to his Young Money Entertainment label – the rest, as they say, is history.
Public Controversy
Jelani was arrested in December 2015 and accused of predatory sexual assault on a child. The victim in question was his stepdaughter, who was just 11 years old when the heinous crimes took place. Despite pleading not guilty, the case dragged on for the next few months – and years – and marked the beginning of Nicki’s downfall.
In July 2016, Jelani was offered a plea deal after being charged with sexual assault against a minor. The situation wasn’t looking good for Nicki’s brother: his DNA had been found on the victim’s clothing, and if he didn’t accept the 15-year plea deal, he’d be facing a life sentence.
The trial finally began in October 2017, and Nicki’s support of Jelani led to rumors that she would be taking the stand to accuse Jelani’s ex-wife of extortion. According to Jelani’s lawyer, his ex-wife Jacqueline Robinson had instructed her daughter to lie in hopes of extorting $25 million from Nicki. As more and more details of the case were revealed, people wondered how Nicki could possibly support her brother instead of publicly denouncing him.
Unfortunately, Nicki’s pattern of associating with predators and pedophiles didn’t stop there,. Apart from working with rappers such as Tekashi 6ix9ine – who previously had sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl – and supporting her brother, in 2019 she married career criminal Kenneth Petty, who was convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl when he was also a teenager.
Defending her husband, Nicki publicly claimed that Kenneth and his victim had been in a relationship at the time, and insinuated that he was only convicted because he was African-American and his victim was Caucasian – it was later revealed that Kenneth’s victim is biracial.
January 2024 Update
Nicki then became embroiled in numerous online spats with other female rappers; her grudge against one-time collaborator Megan Thee Stallion reportedly dates back to 2020, when Megan joined forces with Nicki’s number-one rival, Cardi B, for their hit single “WAP”.
After years of sneak disses and feud rumors, Megan finally called Nicki out in her latest track “Hiss”, rapping: ‘These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law.’ Megan’s Law is a federal law that requires the address of registered sex offenders to be available to the public; in July 2022, Nicki’s husband was sentenced to a year of house arrest for failing to register his new address after moving to California with Nicki.
For the next two to three days, Nicki’s social media meltdowns made headlines around the country, many speculating fueled by drugs. In one Tweet, Nicki told Megan to ‘conjure up her [dead] mother and apologize’, which is when the tide seemed to turn against the formerly beloved Trinidadian rapper.
While Megan celebrates “Hiss” debuting at top spot on the Billboard 100 charts, many eagerly await Nicki’s next move in what has been described as one of the most exciting hip-hop beefs in latest years.
