September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 118 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events[link]

• 476 – Romulus Augustulus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself "King of Italy", thus ending the Western Roman Empire.
• 626 – Li Shimin, posthumously known as Emperor Taizong of Tang, assumes the throne over the Tang Dynasty of China.
• 1260 – The Sienese Ghibellines, supported by the forces of King Manfred of Sicily, defeat the Florentine Guelphs at Montaperti.
• 1666 – In London, England, the most destructive damage from the Great Fire occurs.
• 1774 – New Caledonia is first sighted by Europeans, during the second voyage of Captain James Cook.
• 1781 – Los Angeles, California, is founded as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora La Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula (The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porziuncola) by 44 Spanish settlers.
• 1797 – Coup of 18 Fructidor in France.
• 1812 – War of 1812: The Siege of Fort Harrison begins when the fort is set on fire.
• 1862 – Civil War Maryland Campaign: General Robert E. Lee takes the Army of Northern Virginia, and the war, into the North.
• 1870 – Emperor Napoleon III of France is deposed and the Third Republic is declared.
• 1884 – The United Kingdom ends its policy of penal transportation to New South Wales in Australia.^{[citation needed]}
• 1886 – Indian Wars: after almost 30 years of fighting, Apache leader Geronimo, with his remaining warriors, surrenders to General Nelson Miles in Arizona.
• 1888 – George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak and receives a patent for his camera that uses roll film.
• 1912 – Albanian rebels succeed in their revolt when the Ottoman Empire agrees to fulfill their demands
• 1919 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who founded the Republic of Turkey, gathers a congress in Sivas to make decisions as to the future of Anatolia and Thrace.
• 1923 – Maiden flight of the first U.S. airship, the USS Shenandoah.
• 1939 – World War II: a Bristol Blenheim is the first British aircraft to cross the German coast following the declaration of war and German ships are bombed.
• 1941 – World War II: a German submarine makes the first attack against a United States ship, the USS Greer.
• 1944 – World War II: the British 11th Armoured Division liberates the Belgian city of Antwerp.
• 1944 – World War II: Finland exits from the war with Soviet Union.
• 1948 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands abdicates for health reasons.
• 1949 – The Peekskill Riots erupt after a Paul Robeson concert in Peekskill, New York.
• 1950 – Darlington Raceway is the site of the inaugural Southern 500, the first 500-mile NASCAR race.
• 1951 – The first live transcontinental television broadcast takes place in San Francisco, California, from the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference.
• 1956 – The IBM RAMAC 305 is introduced, the first commercial computer to use magnetic disk storage.
• 1957 – American Civil Rights Movement: Little Rock Crisis – Orval Faubus, governor of Arkansas, calls out the National Guard to prevent African American students from enrolling in Central High School.
• 1957 – The Ford Motor Company introduces the Edsel.
• 1963 – Swissair Flight 306 crashes near Dürrenäsch, Switzerland, killing all 80 people on board.
• 1964 – Scotland's Forth Road Bridge near Edinburgh officially opens.
• 1967 – Vietnam War: Operation Swift begins: U.S. Marines engage the North Vietnamese in battle in the Que Son Valley.
• 1971 – Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 crashes near Juneau, Alaska, killing all 111 people on board.
• 1972 – Mark Spitz becomes the first competitor to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games.
• 1975 – The Sinai Interim Agreement relating to the Arab-Israeli conflict is signed.
• 1977 – The Golden Dragon Massacre took place in San Francisco, California.
• 1985 – The discovery of Buckminsterfullerene, the first fullerene molecule of carbon.
• 1989 – In Leipzig, East Germany, the first of weekly demonstration for the legalisation of opposition groups and democratic reforms takes place.
• 1996 – War on Drugs: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attack a military base in Guaviare, starting three weeks of guerrilla warfare in which at least 130 Colombians are killed.
• 1998 – Google is founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University.
• 2001 – Tokyo DisneySea opens to the public as part of the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan.
• 2007 – Three terrorists suspected to be a part of Al-Qaeda are arrested in Germany after allegedly planning attacks on both the Frankfurt International airport and US military installations.
• 2010 – Canterbury earthquake: a 7.1 magnitude earthquake which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am causing widespread damage and several power outages.

Births[link]

• 1241 – Alexander III of Scotland (d. 1286)
• 1383 – Count Amadeus VIII of Savoy (d. 1451)
• 1454 – Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English politician (d. 1483)
• 1557 – Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1631)
• 1563 – Wanli, Emperor of China (d. 1620)
• 1596 – Constantijn Huygens, Dutch poet and composer (d. 1687)
• 1681 – Carl Heinrich Biber, violinist and composer (d. 1749)
• 1717 – Job Orton, English minister (d. 1783)
• 1718 – Carl Heinrich Biber, Austrian violinist and composer (d. 1749)
• 1755 – Count Axel von Fersen the Younger, Swedish Army officer, diplomat and statesman. (d. 1810)
• 1761 – F.L.Æ. Kunzen, German composer and conductor (d. 1817)
• 1768 – François-René de Chateaubriand, French diplomat (d. 1848)
• 1798 – Raynold Kaufgetz, Swiss academic (d. 1869)
• 1803 – Sarah Childress Polk, First Lady of the United States (d. 1891)
• 1809 – Juliusz Słowacki, Polish Romantic poet (d. 1849)
• 1824 – Anton Bruckner, Austrian composer (d. 1896)
• 1825 – Dadabhai Naoroji, An early Indian political leader (d. 1917)
• 1826 – Martin Wiberg, Swedish computer pioneer (d. 1905)
• 1832 – Antonio Agliardi, Italian diplomat (d. 1915)
• 1846 – Daniel Burnham, American architect (d. 1912)
• 1848 – Jennie Lee, American actress (d. 1925)
• 1850 – Luigi Cadorna, Italian Field Marshal (d. 1928)
• 1851 – John Dillon, Irish nationalist (d. 1927)
• 1885 – Antonio Bacci, Italian cardinal (d. 1971)
• 1885 – Dimitrios Loundras, Greek gymnast (d. 1971)
• 1886 – Albert Orsborn, General of the Salvation Army (d. 1967)
• 1887 – Roy William Neill, Irish director (d. 1946)
• 1890 – Naima Wifstrand, Swedish film actor, operetta singer, troubadour, director and composer (d. 1968)
• 1891 – Fritz Todt, Nazi official (d. 1942)
• 1892 – Darius Milhaud, French composer (d. 1974)
• 1896 – Antonin Artaud, French playwright (d. 1948)
• 1896 – Aspasia Manos, wife of king Alexander of Greece (d. 1972)
• 1901 – William Lyons, British industrialist (Jaguar cars) (d. 1985)
• 1902 – Thomas Mitchell, England cricketer (d. 1996)
• 1905 – Mary Renault, English novelist (d. 1983)
• 1906 – Max Delbrück, German biologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1981)
• 1908 – Edward Dmytryk, American film director (d. 1999)
• 1908 – Richard Wright, American writer (d. 1960)
• 1909 – Eduard Wirths, Nazi physician (d. 1945)
• 1910 – Denis Tomlinson, South African cricketer (d. 1993)
• 1912 – Syd Hoff, Jewish-American cartoonist and children's book author (d. 2004)
• 1913 – Mickey Cohen, American gangster (d. 1976)
• 1913 – Victor Kiernan, British historian (d. 2009)
• 1913 – Stanford Moore, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1982)
• 1914 – Rudolf Leiding, German auto executive, third postwar chairman of Volkswagen (d. 2003)
• 1917 – Henry Ford II, American industrialist (d. 1987)
• 1918 – Paul Harvey, American radio broadcaster (d. 2009)
• 1918 – Gerald Wilson, American jazz trumpeter and arranger
• 1919 – Howard Morris, American comic actor and director (d. 2005)
• 1920 – Clemar Bucci, Argentine racing driver (d. 2011)
• 1922 – Per Olof Sundman, Swedish writer and politician (d. 1992)
• 1923 – Ram Kishore Shukla, Indian Politician (d. 2003)
• 1924 – Joan Aiken, English writer (d. 2004)
• 1925 – Forrest Carter, American author (d. 1979)
• 1926 – Ivan Illich, Austrian philosopher (d. 2002)
• 1926 – Bert Olmstead, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1927 – John McCarthy, American computer scientist (d. 2011)
• 1927 – Ferenc Sánta, Hungarian writer (d. 2008)
• 1928 – Dick York, American actor (d. 1992)
• 1929 – Thomas Eagleton, American politician (d. 2007)
• 1930 – Don Ackerman, American basketball player (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Mitzi Gaynor, American actress
• 1931 – Antonios Trakatellis, Greek politician
• 1932 – Carlos Romero Barcelo, Puerto Rican politician
• 1932 – Dinsdale Landen, English actor (d. 2003)
• 1934 – Sir Clive Granger, Welsh-born economist, Nobel laureate
• 1934 – Eduard Khil, Russian singer
• 1936 – Wayne Cody, American popular radio and television sportscaster (d. 2002)
• 1937 – Dawn Fraser, Australian swimmer
• 1937 – Gene Ludwig, American jazz organist (d. 2010)
• 1937 – Mikk Mikiver, Estonian actor and director (d. 2006)
• 1939 – Denis Lindsay, South African cricketer (d. 2005)
• 1941 – Marilena Chaui, Brazilian philosopher
• 1941 – Sushilkumar Shinde, Indian politician
• 1941 – Ramesh Sethi, East African cricketer
• 1941 – Joanna Van Gyseghem, English actress
• 1942 – Raymond Floyd, American professional golfer
• 1942 – Jerry Jarrett, American professional wrestling promoter
• 1942 – Merald "Bubba" Knight, R&B singer with Gladys Knight & The Pips
• 1944 – Jennifer Salt, American actress
• 1944 – Ron Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1945 – Danny Gatton, American musician (d. 1994)
• 1946 – Gary Duncan, American guitarist (Quicksilver Messenger Service)
• 1946 – Bryan Mauricette, Canadian cricketer
• 1946 – Dave Liebman, American saxophonist and flautist
• 1949 – Dean Pees, American football defensive coordinator
• 1949 – Tom Watson, American golfer
• 1950 – Doyle Alexander, American baseball player
• 1950 – Ehteshamuddin, Pakistani cricketer
• 1951 – Martin Chambers, English drummer (The Pretenders)
• 1951 – Judith Ivey, American actress
• 1951 – Marita Ulvskog, Swedish politician
• 1952 – Rishi Kapoor, Indian actor
• 1953 – Fatih Terim, Turkish footballer and coach
• 1955 – David Broza, a multi-platinum Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1955 – Garth Le Roux, former South African cricketer
• 1955 – Brian Schweitzer, American politician, 23rd governor of Montana
• 1956 – Blackie Lawless, American musician, lead singer in W.A.S.P.
• 1957 – Khandi Alexander, American actress
• 1957 – Patricia Tallman, American actress
• 1958 – George Hurley, American drummer (Minutemen)
• 1958 – Marzio Innocenti, Italian rugby union player and coach
• 1958 – David Drew Pinsky (Dr. Drew), American radio show host
• 1959 – Kevin Harrington, Australian actor
• 1959 – Armin Kogler, Austrian ski jumper
• 1960 – Kim Thayil, American guitarist (Soundgarden, Probot)
• 1960 – Damon Wayans, American actor and comedian
• 1961 – Nick Blinko, English musician (Rudimentary Peni)
• 1961 – Kevin Kennedy, English actor
• 1961 – Rizwan-uz-Zaman, Pakistani cricketer
• 1962 – Kiran More, Indian cricketer
• 1962 – Ulla Tørnæs, Danish politician
• 1963 – Bobby Jarzombek, American drummer (Halford)
• 1963 – John Vanbiesbrouck, American hockey player
• 1963 – Sam Yaffa, Finnish musician (Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls)
• 1964 – René Pape, German bass
• 1965 – Sergio Momesso, French Canadian ice hockey player
• 1966 – Yanka Dyagileva, Russian poet and singer-songwriter (d. 1991)
• 1966 – Jeff Tremaine, American director and producer
• 1967 – Darrin Murray, New Zealand cricketer
• 1968 – John DiMaggio, American voice actor
• 1968 – Phill Lewis, American actor
• 1968 – Mike Piazza, American baseball player
• 1969 – Alexander Coe, Welsh DJ and record producer
• 1969 – Ramon Dekkers, Dutch kickboxer
• 1969 – Noah Taylor, English-born actor
• 1970 – Dave Buchwald, American hacker and film maker
• 1970 – Igor Cavalera, Brazilian drummer (Sepultura)
• 1970 – Daisy Dee, West Indian-born singer
• 1970 – Sven Meyer, German footballer
• 1971 – Lance Klusener, South African cricketer
• 1971 – Ione Skye, English actress
• 1971 – Maik Taylor, Northern Irish footballer
• 1971 – Anita Yuen, Hong Kong actress
• 1972 – Françoise Yip, Canadian actress
• 1973 – Jason David Frank, American actor
• 1973 – Aaron Fultz, American baseball player
• 1974 – Naved Ashraf, Pakistani cricketer
• 1974 – Carmit Bachar, American musician (Pussycat Dolls)
• 1974 – Lincoln Roberts, West Indian cricketer
• 1975 – Kai Owen, Welsh actor
• 1975 – Dave Salmoni, Canadian zoologist, animal trainer
• 1975 – Yoani Sánchez, Cuban dissident blogger
• 1976 – Katreeya English, Thai singer, actress, model
• 1976 – Denilson Martins Nascimento, Brazilian footballer
• 1976 – Clinton R. Nixon, American game designer
• 1976 – Mario-Ernesto Rodríguez, Uruguayan-Italian footballer
• 1977 – Sun-Woo Kim, Korean Major League Baseball player
• 1977 – Mark Ronson, English DJ/Producer and co-founder of Allido Records
• 1977 – Lucie Silvas, English musician
• 1978 – Wes Bentley, American actor
• 1978 – Christian Walz, Swedish artist.
• 1979 – Maxim Afinogenov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Pedro Camacho, Portuguese composer
• 1979 – Kristina Krepela, Croatian actress
• 1979 – Kosuke Matsuura, Japanese racing driver
• 1979 – MC Mong, South Korean hip hop artist
• 1980 – Pat Neshek, American baseball player
• 1980 – Hitomi Shimatani, Japanese singer
• 1981 – Richard Garcia, Australian footballer
• 1981 – Beyoncé Knowles, American singer and actress (Destiny's Child)
• 1981 – Lacey Sturm, American singer (Flyleaf)
• 1982 – Whitney Cummings, American comedian and actress
• 1983 – Joshua Gardner, American sex offender and fictional fifth Duke of Cleveland
• 1983 – Yuichi Nakamaru, Japanese idol, (member of KAT-TUN)
• 1983 – Margit Rüütel, Estonian tennis player
• 1984 – Camila Bordonaba, Argentine actress, singer and composer
• 1984 – Hamish McIntosh, Australian football player
• 1984 – Demetris Nichols, American basketball player
• 1985 – Walid Mesloub, Algerian footballer
• 1985 – Raúl Albiol, Spanish footballer
• 1986 – James Younghusband, Philippine footballer
• 1986 – Ayumi Kaihori, Japanese international footballer
• 1988 – John Tyler Hammons, American politician, mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma
• 1990 – Stefanía Fernández, Venezuelan beauty queen and Miss Universe 2009
• 1990 – Jonny Lomax, English Rugby League player
• 1991 – Carter Jenkins, American actor
• 1995 – Trevor Gagnon, American actor
• 1999 – Kali Majors, American actress

Deaths[link]

• 422 – Pope Boniface I
• 799 – Musa al-Kazim, Shia Imam (b. 745)
• 1037 – King Bermudo III of León (b. 1010)
• 1063 – Tughril, Turkish conqueror of Persia and Baghdad
• 1199 – Joan of England, Queen consort of Sicily, wife of William II of Sicily (b. 1165)
• 1537 – Johann Dietenberger, German theologian (b. c.1475)
• 1588 – Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, English politician (b. 1532)
• 1767 – Charles Townshend, English politician (b. 1725)
• 1780 – John Fielding, English magistrate and social reformer (b. 1721)
• 1784 – César-François Cassini de Thury, French astronomer (b. 1714)
• 1794 – John Hely-Hutchinson, Irish statesman (b. 1724)
• 1804 – Richard Somers, American naval officer
• 1821 – José Miguel Carrera, Chilean general and founding father (b. 1785)
• 1852 – William MacGillivray, Scottish naturalist and ornithologist (b. 1796)
• 1864 – John Hunt Morgan, American Confederate military leader (b. 1825)
• 1907 – Edvard Grieg, Norwegian composer (b. 1843)
• 1909 – Clyde Fitch, American dramatist and playwright (b. 1865)
• 1940 – George William de Carteret, author from Jersey island (b. 1869)
• 1944 – General Erich Fellgiebel, German army officer who participated in the July 20th plot to assassinate Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. (b. 1886)
• 1963 – Robert Schuman, French politician (b. 1886)
• 1965 – Albert Schweitzer, Alsatian physician and missionary, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1875)
• 1974 – Marcel Achard, French playwright (b. 1899)
• 1974 – Creighton Abrams, U.S. Army general (b. 1914)
• 1974 – Lewi Pethrus, Swedish politician (b. 1884)
• 1977 – E. F. Schumacher, German economist and statistician (b. 1911)
• 1977 – Jean Rostand, French biologist (b. 1894)
• 1977 – Stelios Perpiniadis, Greek musician (b. 1899)
• 1979 – Canuplin, Filipino magician and bodabil entertainer (b. 1904)
• 1986 – Hank Greenberg, American baseball player (b. 1911)
• 1986 – Otto Glória, Brazilian football coach (b. 1917)
• 1987 – Bill Bowes, English cricketer (b. 1908)
• 1989 – Georges Simenon, French author (b. 1903)
• 1989 – Ronald Syme, New Zealand-born classicist and historian (b. 1903)
• 1990 – Irene Dunne American actress (b. 1898)
• 1991 – Tom Tryon, American actor and novelist (b. 1926)
• 1991 – Dottie West, American singer (b. 1932)
• 1991 – Charlie Barnet, American jazz saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1913)
• 1993 – Hervé Villechaize, French actor (b. 1943)
• 1995 – Chuck Greenberg, American musician (Shadowfax (b. 1950)
• 1995 – William Kunstler, American lawyer and activist (b. 1919)
• 1997 – Aldo Rossi, Italian architect (b. 1931)
• 1998 – Elizabeth Kata, Australian writer, A Patch of Blue (b. 1912)
• 1999 – Georg Gawliczek, German football manager (b. 1919)
• 2001 – Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf, American radio personality (b. 1962)
• 2002 – Vlado Perlemuter, Lithuanian pianist (b. 1904)
• 2003 – Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist and conductor (b. 1921)
• 2003 – Lola Bobesco, Romanian-born violinist (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Alphonso Ford, American basketball player (b. 1971)
• 2004 – Moe Norman, Canadian golfer (b. 1929)
• 2004 – James O. Page, American paramedic (b. 1936)
• 2006 – Colin Thiele, Australian author and educator (b. 1920)
• 2006 – Giacinto Facchetti, Italian footballer (b. 1942)
• 2006 – Steve Irwin, Australian naturalist and television personality (b. 1962)
• 2006 – Astrid Varnay, Swedish-born soprano (b. 1918)
• 2011 – Lee Roy Selmon, American football player (b. 1954)

Holidays and observances[link]

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Blessed Catherine of Racconigi
  • Moses and Aaron (Lutheran Church and Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • Rosalia
  • Rose of Viterbo
  • Ultan of Ardbraccan
  • September 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Immigrant's Day (Argentina)
• Newspaper Carrier Day (United States)
• The first day of the Ludi Romani until 19 September. (Roman Empire)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: September 4

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

Nicki Minaj
Minaj at 2010 MTV Music Awards
Background information
Birth name	Onika Tanya Maraj
Born	(1982-12-08) December 8, 1982 (age 29)[1] Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago
Origin	South Jamaica, Queens, New York, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, R&B, pop
Occupations	Rapper, singer-songwriter
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment, Universal Republic Records, Universal Motown
Associated acts	Young Money
Website	mypinkfriday.com

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), known by her stage name Nicki Minaj ( /mɪˈnɑːʒ/), is a Trinidadian-born American rapper and singer-songwriter. She was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago and when she was 5 years of age she moved to the New York City borough of Queens, where she grew up.

After releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009 and being signed to Young Money Entertainment in August 2009, Minaj released her debut album, Pink Friday, in November 2010. It quickly became a commercial success, peaking at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month after its release.^[2][3] She became the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.^[4] Her second single, "Your Love", reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, making Minaj the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002.^[5] She also became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List.^[6] Minaj was named the 2011 Rising Star by Billboard.^[7] Her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded was released on April 3, 2012.

Early life[link]

Maraj was born in 1982^{[1][note 1]} in Saint James, a suburb of Trinidad and Tobago's capital city Port of Spain.^[8][9][10] Her parents are of mixed Indian and Afro-Trinidadian ancestry^[11][12] and she lived in Saint James with her grandmother until age five, because her parents were looking for a place to live in the Queens borough of New York City at the time. Her mother would occasionally visit, and one day, when Minaj was five, her mother picked her up to move to Queens.^[13] According to Minaj, her father drank heavily, took drugs, and once tried to kill her mother by setting the house on fire.^[14]

She attended Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School 210, where she played the clarinet.^[13] She graduated from LaGuardia High School.^[15][16] At LaGuardia, a school specializing in music and the visual and performing arts, Minaj participated in the drama program.^[15] She had initially planned to sing at LaGuardia but lost her voice on the day of the audition.^[15]

Career[link]

2007–09: Mixtapes and Young Money[link]

Minaj released her first mixtape in 2007 after releasing Playtime Is Over with Dirty Money Records. She released another mixtape on July 7, 2008, titled Sucka Free, under the label Be. On April 18, 2009, Minaj released a third mixtape and appeared in XXL magazine.^[17] She won the Female Artist of the Year award at the 2008 Underground Music Awards.^[18] Minaj released Beam Me Up Scotty, another mixtape, in April 2009 under the label of Trapaholics Records; it received positive coverage on both BET and MTV.^[19][20]

In August 2009, Minaj signed a record deal with Young Money Entertainment, with distribution from Universal Motown Records, after fellow American rapper Lil Wayne discovered her and secured the record deal.^[17][21] She then had a solo rap verse in their single "BedRock," which became a commercial success, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Minaj also appeared on "Roger That", which charted at number 56. The song, and in particular Minaj, received positive reviews from critics.^[22] Both songs were included in Young Money Entertainment's debut collaborative studio album We Are Young Money, which was released in December 2009. The album charted in the top ten on the Billboard 200, reaching number 9 and later receiving a Gold Certification by the RIAA. She was then chosen by Mariah Carey to be featured on her single and music video for "Up Out My Face". Critics praised her collaboration for helping to maintain Carey's feminine image and providing a polite track for the female R&B singer.^[23]

[edit] 2010–11: Pink Friday

Britney Spears and Minaj performing the Femme Fatale Remix of "Till the World Ends" in the Femme Fatale Tour.

After a major record label bidding war, Young Money Entertainment announced on August 31, 2009 that Minaj had been released from a 360 deal with the label in which she retains and owns all of her 360 rights – including merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, touring and publishing.^[24] In an interview with 95.8 Capital FM, Rihanna stated that after the two collaborated on "Raining Men" from her album Loud that the duo would be teaming up together for a possible second collaboration on Minaj's Pink Friday.^[25] Hip-hop rap artist and producer Kanye West was also confirmed for the album.^[26] On August 3, 2010 Minaj revealed on a Ustream.tv channel that the album's name would be Pink Friday, in reference to Black Friday.^[27]

Pink Friday was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe versions.^[28][29] A buzz single, "Massive Attack", was released in April.^[30] In August, Minaj released "Your Love" as the first official single from her debut album. The single peaked at 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and topped the Rap Songs chart. Minaj became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List^[6] and the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002.^[31] In October 2010, Minaj became the first artist to have seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously.^[4] Minaj released a joint single with The Black Eyed Peas front man, will.i.am titled, "Check It Out", which is Minaj's most successful single to date in Europe. "Right thru Me" was released September 24, 2010; the music video was released in late October. "Moment 4 Life" was released as the fourth single. The track featured Canadian rapper Drake and was released on December 7, 2010, becoming a success on the Billboard Hot 100. The single peaked at number 5 on the Hot Rap Songs.^[32] The album gained a Platinum certification in the United States a month after the release.^[3]