Nicki Minaj and Vogue

Born in Trinidad, Minaj came to the States when she was five, grew up in Queens, and attended the prestigious LaGuardia high school for the performing arts (it was the model for the school in Fame). Her fashion education also began there. “I was dressing in Tommy Hilfiger baggy shirts and Boss jeans, but then I met a person who dressed like a tiny lady—pantsuits, heels, lots of makeup. I thought she was larger than life. She once did my makeup—I had never seen myself made up before. I didn’t want to wash it off; I felt like I had one day to live this fantasy of being a glamour girl.” 

Vogue