Nicki Minaj Defends New Boyfriend's Criminal Past

Nicki Minaj is sticking up for her man.

Following criticism over her new boyfriend, Kennth Petty, who is a registered sex offender convicted of attempted rape, the “Good Form” rapper took to Instagram in his defense. In response to a comment from a fan, who noted that Petty was a teenager at the time of the attempted rape, Minaj offered some clarification.

“He was 15, she was 16 … in a relationship,” she replied. “But go awf, Internet. Y’all can’t run my life. Y’all can’t even run y’all own life. Thank you boo.”

According to TMZ, Petty, 40, was convicted of attempted first-degree rape in April 1995 when both he and the victim were 16. He served nearly four years in prison for the crime. In 2006, he was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and served nearly seven years before being released on parole in May 2013.

Nicki and Petty go way back. TMZ reports that the two met when Nicki was a 16-year-old living in Queens, and she describes him as one of her “first loves.” She feels he’s matured since serving time and deserves a second chance. Nicki’s friends reportedly haven’t seen her this happy with anyone in years.

“We’re told she was very stressed out before they got back together, but she’s much happier since rekindling their romance,” writes TMZ.

The couple was seen vacationing together at a beachfront destination over the weekend. Nicki shared romantic photos and video of them riding jet skis and celebrating her 36th birthday together.

Despite the chatter, Nicki doesn’t seem too concerned. She posted one photo of her and Petty in bed, captioning it, “Oh they wanna talk? Let’s give’m smthn to talk about. 😜👅 *Shania voice*.”

Oh they wanna talk? Let’s give’m smthn to talk about. 😜👅 *Shania voice*

1.5m Likes, 33.8k Comments – Barbie(r) (@nickiminaj) on Instagram: “Oh they wanna talk? Let’s give’m smthn to talk about. 😜👅 *Shania voice*”