Rap superstar Nicki Minaj unveiled a surprising cultural tie to Nigeria on Thursday, confirming that her birth name Onika derives from the Igbo word Onyekachi, meaning “continued belief in a supreme being,” in a response that blended personal revelation with her recent advocacy against religious violence in the West African nation.
The Trinidadian-American artist, born Onika Tanya Maraj in 1982, reacted to a fan’s X post praising her United Nations speech on jihadist attacks against Nigerian Christians, where the admirer highlighted the name’s significance: “The name Onika means ‘continued belief in a supreme being who holds ultimate authority and surpasses all others in greatness.’ Let my Nigerian Barbz and friends confirm how God destines someone for great things before they are even born!”
Minaj, engaging with the post, amplified the connection by teasing another layer of her identity, replying: “Will it get even more mysterious if I told you the tattoo on my arm means ‘God is with me’ in Chinese?”
The exchange, which garnered over 500,000 likes in hours, underscores Minaj’s deepening affinity with Nigeria amid her vocal stance on the country’s Christian persecution crisis. Her UN address last week, where she decried church burnings and faith-based killings, had already drawn praise from African diaspora communities.
Minaj, whose global fanbase includes millions in Nigeria, has teased Igbo influences before, once joking about adopting the language during a 2023 concert. The revelation adds a personal dimension to her activism, bridging her Caribbean roots with West African heritage in a nod to shared spiritual resilience.
