Nicki Minaj’s Standout Shoe Style Through the Years

Aside from being one of the hottest rappers of this decade, Nicki Minaj is a style icon. The rapper broke out onto the hip hop scene in 2009 with her iconic mixtape “Beam Me Up Scotty” and a very New York-based look. She was recognized for oversized bangs with pink highlights, large gold bamboo earrings and her diamond-encrusted “Barbie” chain. When the “Super Bass” artist isn’t inspiring others with her colorful wigs and ostentatious outfits, Minaj is calling attention to her footwear.

Here, some of her standout shoe styles and fashion statements over the years.

At the 2010 American Music Awards, Minaj wore a dress by Manish Arora that was created to look like a skeleton. She paired it with a pair of gold and pink strappy Christian Louboutin sandals for a bold look.

In 2012, Minaj celebrated New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas at Pure Nightclub. For the occasion, she opted for a Hervé Léger bodycon dress paired with rhinestone-studded platform heels. These gold strass “Daffodile” platforms by Christian Louboutin feature Italian leather covered in Swarovski crystals; they retail for $1,560. Sky-high crystal platforms were also a favorite of Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and Jennifer Lopez that same year.

Onstage, Minaj favors Giuseppe Zanotti for performances, wearing the designer’s strappy heels, sneakers and bold, embellished booties. In 2014, she wore the brand while entertaining the crowd at the BET Awards.

At the 2015 AMAs, Minaj proved that she’s not afraid to recycle a great pair of shoes. When she took the stage to accept her win for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album, the same pair of Louboutins peeked out from under her powder pink Michael Costello gown.

Minaj was spotted leaving Los Angeles International Airport on July 13, 2015 in a Moschino crop top and black leggings paired with platform booties. The chunky platform boots added a grunge feel to the outfit. Minaj has worn similar chunky boots by Alexander Wang and Giuseppe Zanotti.

Boots are a staple in the “Moment 4 Life” rapper’s closet. Instead of ankle boots, she opted for knee-high silhouettes with a Versace wrap mini dress for The Daily’s 3rd Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards in 2017. The Versace sneaker-inspired boots are made of navy stretch neoprene with black Italian leather accents and crimson heels and laces. The footwear retail for $1,825.

In 2017, Minaj stunned at the NYFW spring 2018 Oscar de la Renta fashion show in a white and black hooded fur coat and sandals. The Christian Louboutin “Blakissima” bow heels feature the iconic red soles and patent leather material; they retail for $895.

The rapper is known for her wild choice of prints and bold colors. At the Harper’s Bazaar Icons party on Sept. 7, 2018, Minaj wore a beaded tiger-striped ball gown by Alexandre Vauthier and leopard heels by Saint Laurent. The pumps featured a pointed toe design and skinny ankle strap made with leopard-printed calf hair.

Click through the gallery to see more of Nicki Minaj’s shoe style through the years.

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