VMA- winning rapper and songwriter Nicki Minaj have her newest TV show ensemble all set. The cast for "Nicki", Minaj's upcoming ABC Family series has been selected, CNN reports Sunday. 

The 33-year-old performer personally "hand picked" the characters of her new series: "I am honored and excited to announce that I've literally hand picked the main characters of my scripted series," the rapper said Friday on her post in Instagram.

The network, ABC Family, has announced recently in a press release that child actress Ariana Neal will play Minaj in her early years, before her rise to international fame. 

The child actress was seen in movies "Get Hard" and "Fruitvale Station." Minaj turned emotional after watching Neal perform. "I literally cried watching her taped audition. I demanded to meet her!" the rapper wrote. 

The single- camera comedy show will be based on the rapper's childhood years; from her family's migration from Trinidad back in 1990s and the events following that big shift ,in her new home in Queens, New York.  

It has also been announced that award-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg will have an appearance as guest star in the new ABC Family series. She will play as Nicki's neighbour, Miss Martha. The seasoned actress will also be executive producer. 

The show will commence production in January.  The show's air date is yet to be determined according to the network. 

The series will mirror the bittersweet childhood of the international music sensation who became the most-charted female rapper in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, won six American Music Awards, 10 BET Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, and the 2011 Billboard Rising Star award. Minaj has also been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards since 2011.