Rapper Nicki Minaj (real name Onika Tanya Maraj) took to Instagram on Monday to announce that she is expecting her first child with husband Kenneth “Zoo” Petty.
She announced she was pregnant by sharing a series of photos in which she showed off her baby bump.
The first photo shows her kneeling with a smile on her face and cradling her belly.
She is shown in the photo rocking a bikini with a colorful and flowery design, a pair of platform shoes with stiletto heels, and a yellow hairdo.
“#Preggers,” she captions the photo.
The second photo shows her standing and holding her baby bump. She is rocking a blue hairstyle with a yellow bow. She is also wearing a decorated top and bottom pieces, knee-high stockings, and platform shoes.
She relaxes on a couch in the third photo that is captioned: “Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. Overflowing with excitement & gratitude. Thank you all for the well wishes.”
Minaj married Kenneth ‘Zoo Petty in October
Minaj’s announcement that she is pregnant comes after she first revealed back in June 2019 that she and Petty had obtained a marriage license.
In July 2019, she revealed she was, “about to walk down the aisle and be a mommy” when she featured in the track Zanies and Fools from Chance the Rapper’s debut album The Big Day (2019).
Minaj changed her name to Mrs. Petty in August after revealing that she and Petty had renewed their marriage license.
She caused a stir among her fans when she took to social media in September to announce that she was retiring from her music career at the age of 36 to focus on raising a family with Petty.
She officially confirmed that they were married in October 2019.
Monsters & Critics reported in October that Minaj and Petty bought custom rings worth $1.1 million for their wedding.
They took to Instagram to show off their wedding rings, dressed up as characters from the horror movie Bride of Chucky (1998).
Minaj’s wedding ring, made by New York City jeweler Rafaello and Co., featured a “17-carat center with VVS2-clarity diamonds.”
Who is Kenneth “Zoo” Petty?
According to People, the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services records reveals that Petty was convicted in April 1995 of attempted rape in the first degree and sentenced to several months in prison.
The reported rape incident occurred in September 1994 and involved a 16-year-old girl.
Petty was also convicted of first-degree manslaughter in 2006 after pleading guilty to the 2002 shooting death of Lamont Robinson.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison but was released from prison in May 2013 after serving only seven years. He was under supervised release until May 2019.
Petty was arrested again in March 2019 for failing to register as a sex offender in California.
Minaj revealed in her rap lyrics for Zanies and Fools that she met Petty when she was a 17-year-old girl living in Queens.
Minaj has faced criticism for marrying Petty
Nicki Minaj has faced criticism since she revealed she wanted to marry a sex offender.
Monsters & Critics reported that Wendy Williams attacked Minaj on her daytime talk show, The Wendy Williams Show in regard to that very subject. Williams claimed that the rapper had ruined her brand by marrying a “molester.”
But Minaj has pushed back against critics and tried to defend Petty on multiple occasions.
Monsters & Critics also reported in January that Minaj’s brother, Jelani Maraj, was sentenced to “25 years to life” for sexually assaulting an underage person.