Minaj discovered an affinity for singing when she was only three years old. Her gift of music advanced in her “tween” years, playing the clarinet at Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School 210 in the Ozone Park section of Queens. She wrote her first rap song at the age of twelve, and later attended high school at the prestigious LaGuardia Arts High School, best known for inspiring the movie Fame. She had originally planned to study music there, but lost her voice on the day of auditions. Instead of treading down the musical path she’d been leaning towards, Nicki signed on with the drama department, hoping to, one day, land herself a glamorous career as a famous actress. This idea wasn't too far off the mark, as Minaj has been well known for her outrageous style, over-the-top performances and quirky personas.
While in school, she was described by her peers as being loud and pretty, one of those people who can't be ignored. She was also known for being scrappy, sticking up for her friends and never afraid to leap into a fight.
“Her friends were kind of like the mean girls,” said a former classmate. “You got the sense when you walked past her that she was talking about you or had some kind of joke going on. But I wouldn’t say she was mean ... You could tell at LaGuardia what someone’s major was based on their behavior, and Nicki was definitely a drama major.”
“I haven’t really been going on auditions,” Nicki explained, “but it’s funny because, when I graduated out of my class, every year at the end of the drama year they have all the agents come in and you perform and usually you get two or three slips, and that means that that’s how many agents are interested in you. I got ten. That should tell you how good of an actress I am, but I wanted to grow up too fast and not focus on my life. I didn’t see the big picture. I just thought that stuff was gonna happen. I thought I was gonna be Halle Berry next year so I lost a lot of great opportunities, but I guess my life was just destined to do this. I woulda never thought I would be no damn rapper, that’s for sure.”