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Over a decade ago, a musician named Nicki Minaj released her first album, Pink Friday—the rap game (and the world, for that matter) has never been the same. The impact this rapper has had on the music industry alone is unparalleled. (She paved the way for superstars like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion). But Minaj’s influence doesn’t stop within the boundaries of the music industry. In fact, one could say her style has defined the past decade just as much as her music. Like the lyrics she spits, her looks aren’t afraid to go there. In many ways, her style evolution represents the cultural evolution of fashion since 2010 in tandem with her career. So in honor of her birthday, we decided to round up her 25 most memorable looks over the past decade. Prepare yourself—she really is the best.

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Minaj’s rise to popularity in the mid-2010s can be attributed to not only being part of Lil Wayne’s record label, Young Money Entertainment, but also the fact that she did not shy away from an avant-garde red carpet outfit. Take, for instance, one of the earliest Grammy Awards looks she served us; a head-to-toe leopard Givenchy ensemble paired with a wild wig. Can we have this moment for life, please?

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Back in the mid-2010s, celebrities were the purveyors of camp before it was a Met Gala theme—think Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and, of course, our very own Nicki Minaj. Nothing says camp like her look for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. Channeling what she called “Harajuku Barbie,” the “Super Bass” video nominee wore a hand-stitched metal dress from Amato Couture paired with a ShojonoTomo surgical mask that left all our heartbeats runnin’ away.

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Evidently, “camp” wasn’t the only theme Nicki Minaj pioneered back in the day. Before the Met Gala’s Heavenly Bodies theme in 2018, Minaj showed up to the 2012 Grammy Awards ceremony in a red cape from Versace reminiscent of the Pope’s signature attire. While some may consider both Minaj’s performance and her look one of the oddest moments in her career, I was thoroughly impressed.

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Over the years, the Super Bowl has had its fashion moments, like Beyoncé’s earth-shattering performance in 2016 and Madonna’s epic performance in 2012. While these women are both global icons, the frenzy that occurred when M.I.A. and Minaj appeared onstage to perform “Give Me All Your Luvin'” in 2012 was a moment for the record books. Whoever was sleeping on Minaj at that moment had no choice but to love her.

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Maybe this isn’t Minaj’s best look, but it might be her boldest. Something about seeing Minaj wearing this pom-pom concoction of a jacket for Carolina Herra’s spring ready-to-wear show back in 2012 (while sitting next to Anna Wintour, no less!) brings me an insane amount of joy. I’d pay money to have been a fly on the all during their conversation.

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True Barbz all knew Minaj was stunning from day one, but for the rest of the world, people were shaken when she showed up to the 2014 MTV Movie Awards in a minimal black dress from Alexander McQueen and a simple beauty look. In many ways, this red carpet moment redefined both Minaj’s style and her career—the wig came off, and she came dressed to kill.

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If you’ve made it this far, you know Nicki Minaj’s style can be extra, so you’re probably wondering why her look for her performance at the 2014 BET Awards is in this roundup—and it’s because no other look quite speaks to the pivotal moment of Minaj’s career like this one. She performed singles from her album at the time, The Pinkprint, and reminded everyone why she was one of the highest-paid female rappers of that time.

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Let it be known in the history books that 2014 was Minaj’s year—and nothing says that more than a leopard Saint Laurent mini at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. While her wardrobe malfunction during her performance of “Bang Bang” with Ariana Grande and Jessie J caught all the headlines at the time, I’m petitioning more respect be put on this sequin number.

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Minaj did not come to play for the 2015 Grammy Awards. Not only was she nominated for the songs “Anaconda” and “Bang Bang,” but she also should have won an award for showing up to the ceremony in a showstopping black Tom Ford deep-V-neck dress with fringe. Talk about being fresh to death, down to the shoes.

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—the MTV Video Music Awards is where everything goes down. And while you might recall the whole Kanye/Beyoncé/Taylor Swift debacle, another cultural moment to mark on your calendars is when Minaj won the award for Best Hip Hop Video in 2015 for “Anaconda.”

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I know Minaj asked if we were ready, but obviously we weren’t. The world stopped when Minaj and Beyoncé first released their song “Feeling Myself” back in 2014, and it stopped a second time when they performed together at Tidal’s philanthropic concert in 2015. I know we’re supposed to carry on, but seeing these two together on stage still has me in shambles.

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Okay, I can admit that Minaj didn’t exactly nail the 2016 Met Gala theme of Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology, but she looks damn good in this full-length black harness gown by Jeremy Scott. Tweet at me all you want, but I stand by this look in the wider scope of proving that Minaj has always been a risk-taker when it comes to her red carpet style.

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While Minaj wasn’t nominated for anything at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, that didn’t stop her from stealing the spotlight in a full-length sheer royal blue gown by Bao Tranchi. Apparently, she couldn’t walk in it, but all I can say is wow.

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Any doubts you might have had about Nicki Minaj’s fearless approach to fashion should now be squashed since her look for Tidal X’s 2016 philanthropic concert is as bold as it gets. Who else could wear a Maison Margiela lace bodysuit? Still waiting for a response to that…

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There are probably two things Minaj fans got out of her relationship with Meek Mill, the first being Drake’s diss track “Back to Back.” The second, of course, is the reunion moment when Drake, Lil Wayne, and Minaj were back on good terms at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards. The cherry on top? Minaj’s cutout full-length sequin gown.