Nicki Minaj has been gushing over her boyfriend Kenneth Petty ever since they rekindled their relationship in December 2018. The rapper first dated Petty in Queens, New York, when she was just 16 years old.
Now Minaj is saying she’s walking away from the rap game entirely because she’s ready to start a family with her man.
“I’ve decided to retire & have my family,” she tweeted on Thursday. “I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, in the box- cuz ain’t nobody checkin me. Love you for LIFE.”
Of course, Minaj’s tweet sparked a riot on social media, and people immediately expressed sadness, as well as frustration.
“Ok sis it’s been a hour, give the act up. i miss you already,” one person wrote.
“Onika, I will fight you,” wrote another using Minaj’s real name.
“How cute of you to assume that we’d allow that,” someone else tweeted.
There were also plenty of memes that showed people crying and screaming.
But even before Minaj made the retirement announcement, her relationship with Petty has caused much online discussion.
That’s because he was convicted of rape as a 16-year-old and is now registered as a level-two sex offender. Petty also served seven years in prison after pleading guilty to a first-degree manslaughter charge in 2006.
And the backlash over Petty came as recent as Wednesday, Sept. 4, after he seemed to flash a gun during an Instagram Live session on that day.
If Minaj does call it quits right now, her last album would be “Queen,” released in August of last year. Her debut album “Pink Friday” landed in 2010, followed by 2012’s “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,” then 2014’s “The Pinkprint.”
Not including those who’ve come before her, Minaj was practically the only prominent female rapper in the industry for years. And she’s been credited for opening doors for the current flood of women MCs like Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, Saweetie, Kash Doll, Rico Nasty and Leikeli47.
On the relationship front, Minaj dated Meek Mill from 2007-2015 and Safaree Samuels before that.
