Nicki Minaj announces retirement to "have my family"
Nicki Minaj may have once had "Barbie Dreams," but now she's setting her sights on something else: A family. The 10-time Grammy-nominated rapper announced her plan to retire Thursday on Twitter.
"I've decided to retire & have my family," she wrote. "I know you guys are happy now." The performer added a note to fans with lyrics from her rap in the remix of the Alicia Keys hit "Girl on Fire."
"To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me," she wrote, "[sic: X] in the box- cuz ain't nobody checkin me. Love you for LIFE." The star added a kissy face, heart and unicorn emoji. The tweet has since been deleted.
Many of Minaj's fans and fellow musicians seemed shocked by the decision. "Very busy prepping my new video but @NICKIMINAJ you better not retire! I love you! K bye," wrote singer Todrick Hall on Twitter. Rapper Young M.A tweeted simply, "You must be hacked?"
On Friday, Minaj posted a new tweet apologizing for the "abrupt & insensitive" nature of the announcement.
"I'm still right here. Still madly in love with you guys & you know that. In hindsight, this should've been a Queen Radio discussion & it will be. I promise u guys will be happy. No guests, just us talking about everything. The tweet was abrupt & insensitive, I apologize babe," she wrote, with heart and prayer emojis added at the end.
In August, the rapper revealed she planned to marry boyfriend Kenneth Petty in "about 80 days" on an episode of her Queen Radio show, reports People. However, she added that she didn't want a big wedding anytime soon.
"I have to work on my album and I have a lot to focus on that I don't want to do the big wedding now," she said. "We'll do the big wedding later."
Minaj also confirmed the pair got their first marriage license in June on her radio show.
The 36-year-old "MotorSport" rapper appeared to become Instagram official with Petty in December, reports Entertainment Tonight. While Minaj seems smitten, Petty's criminal history, he's a a level two registered sex offender in New York, has garnered criticism from some of the star's fans.
While Minaj hasn't released an album since 2018, she teased an upcoming fifth album earlier this summer on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." She was also featured on Megan Thee Stallion's song "Hot Girl Summer," which was released in August.
