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The Extreme Evolution of Nicki Minaj’s Hair

How many times can Nicki Minaj re-invent herself? 8 years after the self-proclaimed Queen emerged on the music scene, with bright-colored wigs and matching lipstick to boot, the Vogue Arabia cover star has established herself as a certified beauty chameleon. The rule-breaking rapper has served up a diverse lineup of outrageous and memorable looks that suit each of her many alter egos— Roman Zolanski, Harajuku Barbie, and Chun Li to name a few.

Though now, the rapper has made glossy, black, floor-trailing lengths somewhat of a beauty signature, it’s hard to forget that Minaj (born Onika Maraj in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad & Tobago) arrived in the hip hop scene sporting jetblack lengths equipped with a set of blunt bangs and two stripes of pepto pink highlights that ran down both sides of her hair in the music video for Young Money’s Bedrock. Before long, the pink highlights transformed into a neon green cut, bright orange bob, and towering, fuzzy, leopard-print wigs.

It wasn’t until her defining The Pinkprint era, when the Barbie Tingz rapper decided to recalibrate her look by ditching the over-the-top wigs in favor of her natural hair, which she often wore slicked back or parted neatly down the center, complete with equally pared-back makeup.

Not one for minimalism, today, Minaj favors swingy, ankle-grazing lengths, often rotating between black, pink, and platinum (sometimes both at the same time), thus proving that she’s still the beauty renegade she’s always been.

In the gallery above, we trace Nicki Minaj’s hair evolution.

Now Read: Nicki Minaj Lands Her Vogue Cover Debut

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