Previously Unseen Footage of Nicki Minaj’s High School Theatre Days Surfaces

This past weekend saw the return of the British TV show “You Saw Them Here First”, which compiles footage of stars from before they were famous. In addition to early performance clips from Katy Perry, Paloma Faith and others, Saturday night’s episode offered a rare glimpse into Nicki Minaj‘s life pre-rap-stardom, back when she studied theatre at the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in New York City.

The minute-or-so of footage features Minaj (née Onika Miraj, class of ’00) rehearsing a high-intensity scene and hurling a telephone to the ground just a few inches from her co-star. Later, the performance moves from the classroom to the stage; watch Minaj’s segment of the episode below, via Stereogum. 

See the final results of The Nicki Minaj singles tournament.