Nicki Minaj fans, the gods of children’s programming have heard your prayers. Deadline reports that ABC Family has greenlit a series based on the childhood of Onika Tanya Maraj — better known as Nicki Minaj, Queen of Rap — focusing on her "growing up in Queens in the 1990s with her vibrant immigrant family and the personal and musical evolution that lead to her eventual rise to stardom.”
Nicki will executive produce the series and is also slated to appear on the show (!!!), so that knocks one thing off the wish-list. Here are five other dreams we have for the upcoming Untitled Nicki Minaj Project, a.k.a Baby Anaconda, a.k.a. Very Young Money (we’ll keep brainstorming).
An iconic theme song
If there was ever an opportunity to create a theme song that rivals the iconic “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” intro, this is it, and we have full confidence that Nicki and her Young Money squad will be able to engineer something that Generation Z-ers will be putting on their throwback karaoke playlists for decades to come. Beyoncé, naturally, gets a guest verse. Lil Wayne can do the bridge. Meek Mill is not invited.
All-star cameos
Obviously the show is a great excuse for Nicki’s many famous friends to make their ABC Family Debut, and we’ve already got a pretty lengthy wish-list. We already know Drake already knows his way around some PG programming, so how about bringing back Jimmy Brooks for a "Degrassi" crossover? And now that Nicki and Taylor Swift have buried the hatchet, we also would love to see Tay reprise some of those acting skills she honed back in her CSI murder victim days. Beyonce, of course, will be a hard one to get, but if anyone can get her onboard, it’s Nicki. We already know she would make a great cool babysitter.
A spot-on mini-me
Shows based on their adult creators' childhoods have historically yielded some exceptional kid casting, from Tyler James Williams in "Everybody Hates Chris" to Hudson Yang in "Fresh off The boat," and this should be no exception. Sassy tweens of America, start studying up on Sophie Grace videos and and rehearsing your best Onika-style teenage grin.
http://instagram.com/p/wXKiBdr8UH/
The fashions of '90s-era teen Nicki
We assume Nicki formed her penchant for rainbow-colored wigs and sheer bodysuits during her formative years, and when you combine adult Nicki’s adventurous personal style with the bizarro fashion trends of the ‘90s and reliable faux-pas of teenage dressing, we predict some high drama in the costume department. Bring on the scrunchies!
Breaking boundaries
And on a more serious note: Nicki Minaj has been a serious role model for women of color in the music industry, and she stands to break down just as many barriers onscreen. There still remains a serious shortage of programming starring Black and Latina women (particularly outside the utopian borders of ShondaLand), so a show centered around a Caribbean immigrant family, and with a young woman in the central role, represents a major step forward.
Nicki: As always, we salute you.
via GIPHY
Oh, and Miley -- what's good?
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