The sister of the multi-platinum artist is significantly younger than her. Nicki Minaj’s sister, Ming Maraj, is an 18-year-old aspiring rapper, model, and podcaster.
Key Takeaways
- Ming Maraj goes by the name of Ming Luan Li.
- The 18-year-old is an aspiring rapper, model, and podcaster.
- Ming and Nicki do not have the closest relationship.
The sisters recently caused a stir in the hip-hop community over some shade thrown at each other.
In an episode of the “We in Miami” podcast, Ming discussed her complicated relationship with her famous sister.
Nicki, in response, threw some shade at her half-sister, quoting,
Why would a person speak openly about a private person? Why would a person do that? Who would you speak about in your interviews if someone wanted to interview you? Yourself, right?
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Ming Maraj goes by the stage name of Ming Luan Li and has quite a follower count on Instagram, where she posts modeling pictures, rap videos, and snippets of her talking on podcasts.
The Early Days Of The Maraj Sisters
She is the youngest of the four Maraj siblings- Onika Tanya Maraj (Nicki), Micaiah Maraj, Ming Maraj, and the disgraced Jelani Maraj.
However, Ming and Nicki are half-sisters, sharing the same father- the late Robert Maraj.
Robert was a financial executive and part-time gospel singer in Trinidad and Tobago before he passed away in 2021.
Nicki grew up in a troubled home, her father being addicted to alcohol and crack cocaine, paired with a violent temper.
In fact, Robert once burned down the family house back in 1987, after which a 5-year-old Nicki and her brothers moved to their grandmothers.
While not much is known about her earlier life, it is safe to assume that Ming was born in the US since their father moved there when her much older sister was only 5 years old.
Being born decades after Nicki, it is unclear whether or not Ming, too, had to grow up in a house of conflict.
Just like her sister, Ming’s ethnicity is part Indo-Trinidadian and part Afro-Trinidadian, both from their father’s side.
Ming has not publicly spoken about her mother.
The Complicated Relationship Between Ming And Nicki
While the half-sisters do share the occasional niceties, like when Nicki wished Ming a happy birthday on her Instagram, they seem to have a tumultuous relationship.
Nicki Minaj wishes her little sister Ming a happy birthday via instagram story 💞 pic.twitter.com/5926tDHmdn
— Stats of Minaj (@statsofminaj) January 8, 2022
In recent interviews, Nicki Minaj slammed her sister for discussing their strained relationship, even though she did not explicitly mention her by name or relation.
The controversy stemmed after Ming talked about how she dislikes being constantly attributed to her sister and how she got bullied for it.
Ming quoted,
When you’re, like, addressing me, right? Address me by my name. Nicki Minaj’s little sister? That’s like.. I’m a human being. I don’t have a name and if you’re gonna address me by that, add the Ming Luan Li at the end.
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Fans of both were also left confused about their relationship by the fact that a few months ago, Ming seemed to be struggling financially but did not receive any help from her sister, who is estimated to have a net worth of $150 million.
In a recent interview, Nicki Minaj quoted,
I think y’all think talent like, you could catch it like a cold. Or maybe people could pass it through the genes. Even with blood relation, what God has given to me is mine. You have to go and get your own. You have to discover whatever it is that you’re great at. Being a mooch and a clown don’t run in my DNA.
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Despite occasional gestures of goodwill, the sisters’ public disagreements suggest underlying issues that have yet to be resolved.
Fans remain puzzled about why Nicki isn’t helping out with Ming’s rap career; after all, she has helped multiple artists like Ice Spice and Nana Fofie, so why not her own sister?
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Ming Maraj released a rap song, “Do It Again,” featuring Rakeem Love, on March 2024.
- Nicki Minaj initially pursued acting and starred in a few plays.
