In spite of the controversy surrounding their relationship, Kenneth Petty is making his love for Nicki Minaj permanent.
The “Barbie Dreams” rapper’s beau recently went under the needle for the very first time. He left the parlor with a large, cursive “Onika” – his famous lady’s birth name – inked on his neck in red letters.
Nicki showed off Petty’s body art in an Instagram video on Friday. “Did your tat hurt?” she asked her man as she fixed her hair in the camera’s reflection. While he denied feeling any pain, the MC – who knows how much it hurts to get inked – called his bluff.
“His first tat– frontin like it didn’t sting 😩,” she captioned the vid in part.
Petty’s bold gesture for Nicki comes after two weeks of mounting criticism of their love. When the pair made things Instagram official on Dec. 10 with a flirtatious photo on the “Good Form” artist’s page, followers quickly called out Petty for his concerning criminal history.
According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, Petty – a registered sex offender – 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.
Petty also pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in March 2006, per the Queens County District Attorney’s Office. Following his plea, he served seven years of his 10-year sentence before being released on parole in 2013.
While concerned fans have continued to flood Nicki’s Instagram page with negative reactions to her pick for a romantic partner, the lyricist has made it clear that she is sticking by her beau. One day after her coupled-up snap caught flak, Nicki waded into the comments section to weigh in on Petty’s attempted rape conviction.
“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.”
In the days since, Nicki has shared more Insta pics of her partner. One flirty post suggested that – like her newly-tattooed man – she might be ready for a permanent commitment.
“He want me to be his wife- his MISSIS like SIPPI NOW,” the “Majesty” rapper wrote next to a candid photo of the two, a possible hint that wedding bells could be on the way.
WATCH: Nicki Minaj’s ‘Good Form’ Music Video Features Sisters Who Accused Cardi B Of Assault
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.