"This is one of the more unique adventures I've ever embarked on," Minaj (32) said.
The series is to be based on Minaj's family which moved to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1990s.
The musician will produce the still-untitled show as well as act in it, although her role has not been announced. In revealing the news on Twitter on Tuesday, she said she was scouting for at least one important role: "I am now launching a nation wide search to find #YoungNicki."
Shooting will begin this winter in the Queens borough of New York but no date has yet been set for broadcast.
"Nicki is an international superstar, yet not everyone knows how inspiring and hilarious her true story is," said Karey Burke, ABC Family's executive vice president programming and development, in a statement.
The hip hop celebrity is to appear next year on the big screen for "Barbershop 3," starring as a hairdresser alongside rapper Ice Cube.
ABC Family is a unit of Walt Disney Co.
