Nicki Minaj Officially Confirms Her Marriage to Kenneth Petty

Update: Nicki Minaj is officially married to her boyfriend of less than one year Kenneth Petty. She shared the exciting news on Instagram, writing, "Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty 10•21•19."

The rapper has faced intense criticism for her relationship with boyfriend Kenneth Petty since the couple went public with their relationship in December of 2018. Kenneth, who has a troubled criminal history, has had fans questioning why Nicki would be with him in the first place. 

Nicki might be putting naysayers of her relationship to shame, as it's been reported that she got a marriage license. 

Wedding rumors first began to fly for Nicki and Kenneth when she spoke out about getting a marriage license on her Queen Radio show in June. The rapper said on the June 21 episode that the two had gotten the paperwork to legally wed.

"We did get our marriage license," she said. "I think I have what I was striving for, just happiness. It was so hard to get to a happy place. Now that I’m there, I don’t want to compromise that for anyone or anything." She later talked about how having a child with Kenneth was her ultimate dream, though the two have not started their family yet.

Nicki had sparked some possible elopement rumors when she referred to Kenneth as her "husband" on the radio show. While Nicki said that she had gotten the license back in June, it was not actually filed until late July. The pair were spotted at the Beverly Hills Courthouse on July 29 getting their marriage license, which has not been filled out and returned as of yet. Once it is returned, the pair can legally wed.

Though sources close to Nicki have said that the rapper is the happiest she's ever been, her relationship to Kenneth has been scrutinized since she first shared pictures with him. Kenneth is a registered sex offender, as he was convicted of the attempted rape of a 15-year-old (he was also 16 at the time). Nicki said that Kenneth was in a relationship with the girl he was accused of assaulting.

Kenneth also was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a manslaughter charge. The charge came after he shot and killed someone, but he pleaded guilty and served four years of the sentence. 

Nicki has certainly had a string of public relationships (and breakups) that have made her journey toward marriage a long and troubled one. She dated rapper Safaree Samuels for 14 years, and the two officially ended things in 2014. The two later had a Twitter argument, during which Nicki claimed she paid for Safaree to get hair plugs.

Soon after, she began dating another rapper, Meek Mill, but they split in 2017 after dating for two years. Her relationship with Meek Mill also contributed to the end of her longterm friendship with Drake. The pair had collaborated on several songs together, but have not since she dated Meek Mill.

Now, we'll just have to wait and see if Nicki and Kenneth have a lavish public wedding, or if the pair intends on quietly getting married in a courthouse. Rest assured, Nicki will probably confirm any news on her radio show or in an upcoming album.