HOT 99.5 welcomes Nicki Minaj!

NICKI MINAJ
Saturday, July 21
DAR CONSTITUTION HALL
(1776 D St. NW - Washington DC 20006)




ON SALE: LiveNation.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone (800) 745-3000


PRICES: $79.75, $69.50, $45.75 (Reserved)
All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice. Ticket prices subject to applicable fees.

NICKI MINAJ: Where are all the female MCs at? Until Nicki Minaj, they appeared to be a dying breed. Of late, Minaj has taken the hip-hop-pop world for her own, she has released several mixtapes, a full-length LP, and has been featured on dozens of top-ten tracks, all in the span of a few years. When she is not in the studio, she is on the road; Nicki Minaj tour dates are scheduled nationally with her Young Money co-stars.

Minaj is a native of Trinidad and Tobago but relocated to Jamaica, Queens which has historically been a breeding ground for rappers; other stars such as 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks also hail from the area. In Queens, she honed her vocal, dramatic, and rhyming abilities at a performing arts high school. After graduation, Nicki began working on getting her career off and she released her first mixtape "Playtime Is Over" in 2007, and followed that up with her second "Sucka Free" in 2008. The underground EP's were not commercially successful, but Minaj was being heard by those who could make things happen. By the time of her third mixtape "Beam Me Up Scotty", she had garnered the attention of major players such as Lil Wayne and a major label bidding war ensued. Ultimately, Lil Wayne and Young Money Entertainment won out and she was invited to join the Young Money crew for guidance, support, and to cut an album.

It was with the Young Money crew and their collabo album "We Are Young Money", that Minaj gained mainstream attention. Their single, "Bedrock", not only featured an up-and-coming rapper named Drake, but also featured Nicki as a sexed-out rapping phenom who quickly stole the show from the boys. The single was a hit and it generated huge industry buzz for Nicki to step-out as a solo-star. She released the album "Pink Friday", in August, 2010 which featured hit singles and broke records. The album debuted at #2 in its maiden week, and eventually peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200. Minaj sold 375,000 copies the first week, and Pink Friday became the biggest debut Hip-Hop album since Lauryn Hill's "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" in 1998. The album also featured the #1 Rap single "Your Love" which became the first rap track by a female artist to hit #1 since "Work It" by Missy Elliot in 2003.

With her debut album, Minaj proved that she had the adroitness to craft a critically and commercially successful album in a genre dominated by men. Minaj's "Pink Friday" isn't throwaway hip-hop fodder; It will prove itself to be a hip-hop classic and serves as inspiration to all female MCs who follow. In addition to appearing on SNL and other TV guest spots, Nicki Minaj tour dates have been booked throughout the year. Minaj will open for the Femme Fatale herself, Britney Spears, on her worldwide tour this 2011. In addition, individual Nicki Minaj concert dates are booked periodically at certain US venues. Minaj has emerged as a sex symbol, female hip-hop pioneer, and the most exciting act in entertainment. Don't miss out while she is on the road in support of "Pink Friday". Use Eventful as your source for Nicki Minaj tour dates and concert schedule information.