Nicki Minaj is happy with her new man no matter what anyone says.
The rapper responded to the outspoken criticism surrounding her relationship with registered sex offender Kenneth Petty on Monday. Many fans expressed concern after Nicki shared multiple loved-up photos of the pair celebrating her 36th birthday over the weekend.
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According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, Petty was convicted of attempted rape in the second degree back in 1995. He was 17 years old at the time and sentenced to 18 to 54 months in prison.
One social media user came to his defense, commenting on Minaj’s Instagram page that both Petty and the girl involved in the 1994 incident were underage at the time. Minaj replied, thanking the fan for their support while shutting down others for chiming in with negative remarks.
“He was 15, she was 16… in a relationship. But go awf, internet,” she wrote, adding a side-eye emoji. “Y’all can’t run my life. Y’all can’t even run y’all own life.”
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Per the Queens District Attorney’s Office, Petty also pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter in March 2006 and served seven years of his 10-year sentence before being released on parole in 2013.
Minaj’s birthday photos appeared to confirm her and Petty’s romance, but she first shared a selfie with him last month. While the “Barbie Dreams” hitmaker had disabled the comments on one of the recent snaps, she invited a more open dialogue in a newer post.
“Oh they wanna talk? Let’s give’m smthn to talk about,” she wrote, captioning two steamy shots of her and Petty posing together.
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