The Barbz have a lot to celebrate after their beloved Nicki Minaj welcomed her first child with husband Kenneth Petty on Wednesday, September 30, according to TMZ. Unfortunately, there are no other details about Nicki’s bundle of joy at this time, including a birth date, and the baby’s name and sex. The “MEGATRON” rapper, 37, has not confirmed the report either. HollywoodLife has reached out to a representative for Nicki for comment.
Ahead of the baby news, fans had an inkling that Nicki gave birth in secret. Why? — Following Nicki’s pregnancy reveal, her mother Carol Maraj wrote a telling comment on her personal Instagram page. “Is it too late to post a #WCW? Thank you @david_lachapelle for capturing my heart on the outside,” she wrote alongside one of Nicki’s pregnancy photos. Calling her daughter by her birth name, Onika, Carol added that Nicki “has always been so nurturing , caring, loving, bold, beautiful, God-fearing and selfless… motherhood already looks beautiful on you!” — The latter part of Carol’s comment was what led fans to believe that the rapper had already given birth.
Nicki revealed she was expecting in a number of Instagram posts on July 20. The 10x Grammy nominee shared professional photos of her bare baby bump (seen above), which she cradled in different colorful, beaded bikinis. “#Preggers,” Nicki, who donned a curly, yellow wig captioned her first photo reveal.
The second snap showed her standing with her left hand under her belly. She wore a bright blue wig and knee-high white stalkings with jeweled platforms on. The third photo showed Nicki lounging on a pink couch in her same yellow wig and jeweled bikini that she posed in for the first shot.
“Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. Overflowing with excitement & gratitude,” she captioned photo No. 3, adding, “Thank you all for the well wishes.”
In her fourth and final pregnancy reveal, Nicki recreated a pregnancy portrait that emulated the Virgin Mary, she said. The photo, which showed Nicki in a floor-length beaded veil with her baby bump poking out of a white angelic gown, was shot by famed photographer David LaChapelle.
Since she announced her first pregnancy, Nicki was only spotted out one time — the day after she shared the good news. The rapper was photographed sporting a baby bump while leaving her home in West Hollywood. She was dressed casually in a black t-shirt and tie dye shorts at the time.
In her initial pregnancy reveal, Nicki didn’t mention her baby’s father, although the rapper has been married to Kenneth since October of 2019. She went public with their romance on social media in December of 2018. Even before she wed Kenneth, Nicki was vocal about wanting a marriage and children. Congratulations to the rapper and her husband on their new addition!