Nicki Minaj says that she’s decided to retire. “I’ve decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, X in the box- cuz ain’t nobody checkin me. Love you for LIFE” (sic), she wrote on Twitter.
Minaj is currently dating Kenneth Petty, and has hinted that they’re planning to get married. Last month, she said she’d tie the knot with Petty in “about 80 days” on her Queen Radio radio show, and on Twitter she changed her display name to ‘Mrs. Petty’. Whether this genuinely means she’s planning a life of domestic bliss away from the cruel and cutthroat music industry remains to be seen. In fact, it’s not clear from her comments which of her numerous creative and business endeavours she’s even planning to retire from.
On the one hand, the “I know you guys are happy now” comment, hitting out at the haters, suggests she’s either venting her frustration or trolling. On the other, Minaj has previously talked up her desire to have a family – in 2014, on “All Things Go”, she rapped about wanting to be at peace with herself, “as long as seven years from now I’m taking my daughter to preschool” (admittedly we’re still two years off of that timeline, but the point still stands).
If she were serious – and, listen, she wouldn’t lie about this now, would she? – then she joins a long list of rappers who’ve hung up their coat early, including permanently retired rapper Jay-Z and permanently retired rapper Lil Wayne.