Back in September, Nicki Minaj announced (opens in new tab) a new ABC Family (soon to be Freeform) show about her childhood in Queens, New York, and had an open casting call for the part of Young Nicki.
On Friday, Nicki shared the news that the main parts have been cast, and naturally, she found the cutest little girl in the whole world to play her. "I literally cried watching her taped audition," Nicki wrote of Ariana Neal, who's also appeared in Fruitvale Station and Get Hard. "I demanded to meet her! Sat in a room with her teaching her how to rap by doing a beat on the table & forcing her to stay on beat! Lol. Then pulled out all the attitude she had in her lil body. Haha! She's tough! And so sweet & cute." To see the cuteness in action, please enjoy this 2011 video of Ariana covering Bruno Mars's "Grenade."
In other casting news, Selita Ebanks (aka the phoenix from Kanye West's "Runaway" film) will play Nicki's mom Grace, while Whoopi Goldberg will guest-star as their neighbor Miss Martha. Nicki doesn't yet have a premiere date, but according to Nicki it will begin airing in 2016.
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