Minaj Pays Up to Students Tweeting for College Aid

Nicki Minaj is sending a strong message to her fans: getting good grades can literally pay. TMZ reports that the singer promised to help a dozen fans tweeting at her for college aid, and has confirmed that at least two have already received money in their bank accounts. It started Saturday when a student jokingly asked if the singer would help out with his tuition on Twitter. Minaj, who has nearly 21 million followers, replied: "Show me straight A's that I can verify w/ur school and I'll pay it. Who wants to join THAT contest?!?!Dead serious. Shld I set it up?"

A firestorm of tweets followed, and Minaj responded directly to queries, asking for details and proof of the requests and grades as well as bank information over direct message. Among the requests, Minaj agreed to help one student buy a camera for a media class and another pay for a summer course at MIT. According to NBC News, the tally of her promises reached over $20,000, and she's already getting props from friends like Ellen DeGeneres, who tweeted, "That moment when you wake up to discover @NickiMinaj helped a bunch of students pay for college." The Grammy nominee signed off Saturday night by tweeting that she enjoyed the experience and would be up for doing it again in the near future. (More Nicki Minaj stories.)