Nicki Minaj got married to Kenny Petty in 2019 and they are still going strong. The couple welcomed a son in 2020 but for reasons best known to them, they have chosen to not disclose his name to the public.
Nicki Minaj is one of the top names that come to mind whenever there is a conversation about female rappers. There are arguably those that can now rub shoulders with her but the Trinidadian-American rapper was on a league of her own and continues to lead the pack. Vastly considered among the most influential female rap artists of all time, Nicki has sold no fewer than 100 million records across the globe and has won almost all of the most coveted awards in the music industry.
Disregarding her career in music, she is also an actress and model with so much clout in showbiz that Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world; this was in 2016. For someone as accomplished as she is, it was a big deal when the Bang Bang hitmaker announced sometime in September 2019 that she would be quitting music to have a family. This, as one would expect, piqued people’s interest in her private life with many wondering if the sacrifice she was about to make is worth it. What anyone thinks hardly matters now as she is married to Kenneth Petty with whom she has been working towards her dream of having a family.
Nicki Minaj’s Husband Is Her Childhood Friend and They Got Married In 2019
- Husband’s Full Name: Kenneth “Zoo” Petty
- Date of Birth: April 7, 1978
- Age: 45 Years Old
- Occupation: Undetermined
The rapper and her husband have known each other since they were kids. They grew up in the neighborhood, so Nicki had known the man before she became rich and famous. She once shared that Kenneth Petty has always been a “little brazy”, that he fought her best friend because she wasn’t going to date him.
Zoo, as he is often called, is considered to be one of the first serious boyfriends of the rap star who would later date popular figures like Safaree Samuels, Meek Mill, and Nas. From what we gathered, the couple first became a couple when Nicki was 16 years old.
Facts but we were like this about each other since we were very young kids in the hood. He was on my body b4 the big ol’ ghetto booty 🤪. B4 the fame & fortune. Fought my bf cuz I wouldn’t be his girl. He was always a lil brazy. But anyway, timing is everything. ♥️🙏 https://t.co/RdnXKzSZbu
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) January 6, 2019
From what is obvious, Kenneth Petty has always been the love of Nicki’s life. But at some point, Zoo was caught up in some issues with the law whereas Nicki was snapped up by her exploit in the music industry, thus they parted ways but kept in touch. The rapper would then date Safaree from 2000 to 2014; Meek Mill from 2015 to 2017; and Nas for a brief period in 2018 before she reconnected and resumed her relationship with Petty.
It was precisely in December 2018 that Nicki Minaj rekindled her romance with Petty. By August the following year, it emerged that they had filed for a marriage license. Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty officially became life partners on the 21st of October 2019. Confirming that they got married, the rap star noted that it wasn’t a big and beautiful wedding that she dreamt of as a girl. People have been critical about Nicki’s choice of a husband and the huge sacrifice she has made but the singer is determined to succeed in her quest to build a home of her own.
Their Marriage Has Been Troubled By Zoo’s Past as a Convicted Sex Offender
It is no secret that the man the famous rapper is married to has had a few issues to sort out with the law. He was roped in a gunfire incident that led to the death of one Lamont Robinson in 2002 and later pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in 2006. Nevertheless, the legal issue that has troubled his marriage to Nicki is related to sexual offenses. As you would easily find, Kenneth Petty was convicted of attempted rape in 1995. As the story goes, he used a knife to coerce his victim into having sex with him. For this, he was sentenced to serve 18 to 15 months behind bars.
Zoo’s sexual crime has become an ugly past that would follow him for the rest of his life. It is said that he is registered as a level-two sex offender in the State of New York. After he got married to Nicki Minaj and moved to California to live with his wife in Beverly Hills, Downtown LA, the crime dragged him and his wife into the limelight yet again for the wrong reason. It was reported that Kenneth was facing federal charges for failing to register as a sex offender in California.
In January 2021, Nicki and her husband made news headlines yet again because of the rape crime. This was after his alleged rape victim made a video pleading with Zoo and Minaj to leave her and her family alone.
Nicky Minaj Is Still Married To Kenneth Petty and They Now Have a Son Together
Despite all the unnecessary attention that Kenneth Petty’s past has dragged Nicki Minaj into, the rapper has remained dedicated and committed to him. They are still married and Nicki has taken to defending her husband. She once asserted online that she wouldn’t let people ruin her life because of the past while contending that Zoo and the said victim were teenagers in a relationship.
True to her words to not let the public ruin what she has with Zoo, Nicki and Kenneth have taken their union a step further by becoming parents for the first time. It was on the 20th of July 2020 that the Anaconda rapper disclosed to the public that she and Kenneth Petty would soon become parents.
On the 30th of September 2020, the couple welcomed a son whose name is yet to be disclosed to the public.
What Are Nicki Minaj’s Thoughts On Parenting?
As the rapper is only recently a mother for the first time, it would take some time to get a grasp on her parenting skills. But over the years, the rap star had made clear the kind of mom she wanted to be. Sometime in 2015, before she announced her retirement and got married to Zoo, Nicki Minaj shared that she would have two kids. With that, she gave an insight into what her parenting style would look like.
Based on what she said, Nicki would devote the coming years of her life to being a housewife. She would settle for any career that would afford her the chance to work from home so that she can cook for her kids and watch them grow. The rapper in another interview pointed out that she would never want her children to feel like they don’t have all of her attention.
