Nicki Minaj Reportedly Welcomes First Child With Husband Kenneth Petty

Nicki Minaj is a new mom. According to TMZ, the hip-hop star and husband Kenneth Petty have welcomed their new child to the world. Sources told TMZ that Minaj gave birth on Wednesday in Los Angeles. The name and sex of the baby have not been revealed.

Minaj announced her pregnancy in July, posting a series of photos on social media. When she first showed off her baby bump, Minaj offered no further details on her pregnancy. Minaj, 37, married Petty last year. The two dated as teenagers and reunited in 2018 after Petty was released from prison.

"Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. Overflowing with excitement & gratitude. Thank you all for the well wishes," Minaj wrote in one of the July posts. For the most part, Minaj kept her pregnancy under wraps during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, her relationship with Petty has also secretive largely because of his past. She took a lot of criticism for getting back together with Petty in 2018 as he's a registered sex offender in the state of New York. He was convicted in 1995 for attempting first-degree rape of a 16-year old girl.

Minaj defended her relationship on Instagram, writing: He was 15, she was 16... in a relationship. But go awf Internet. Y'all can't run my life. Y'all can't even run y'all own life. Thank you boo." As Minaj mentioned, she's in a good place in her life as she has a husband and a new baby. In 2014, Minaj spoke to Complex about starting a family while she continues her career.

"I have definitely put off the wife thing because I don't want people in my business," Minaj said. "I'd rather not do anything that's going to be on paper but I definitely will be married before I have my baby. I want to make sure I do it in that order. I've always felt like that since I was young; my mother always put that in my head. By the fifth album, I will have walked down the aisle and I will at least be on baby number one, possibly baby number two."

Minaj has put together a strong career. She has released four albums since 2010, and all have debuted at least No. 2 on the Billboard 200 charts. Minaj has been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards and won six American Music Awards including Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist in 2011, 2012 and 2015.