Congrats are in order for Nicki Minaj. The rap superstar announced via Instagram that she is pregnant with her first child. Each of the three announcement photos features the Head Barb In Charge cradling her growing stomach. In two photos, she is wearing a floral bra top and a bright yellow wig, while another features the musician in an elaborately embellished ensemble and a blue wig with bows.
“Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. Overflowing with excitement & gratitude,” she wrote in the final photo. “Thank you all for the well wishes.”
This weekend, members of Minaj’s devoted fan base The Barbz were convinced the announcement was coming after Nicki’s resident DJ appeared to have confirmed her pregnancy in an Instagram comment.
“Am I still deejaying the baby shower?” he asked her.
Her Minajesty herself has been fueling rumors of a possible pregnancy for months. Back in May, she hosted a Twitter Q&A where she listed a few foods she’s enjoyed during quarantine.
“Steak. Shrimp. Plus my famous cheeseburgers. So good,” she tweeted. “Been rlly having red meat cravings then salad cravings with extra jalapeños. Ordered Chkn nachos that didn’t come w/jalapeños. Who does that? Wow.” She also told fans that she’s been experiencing “nausea and peeing nonstop,” and would post the photo of her baby bump when the world is ready to see it.
Minaj is married to Kenneth Petty, whom she met while growing up in Queens, N.Y. She has discussed her desire to become a mother for quite some time, detailing to Complex in 2014 that she believes she was “put here” to become one. (She rapped about her dreams of taking her future child to preschool on her 2014 song “All Things Go.”) Additionally, during her verse on Chance the Rapper’s 2019 song “Zanies and Fools,” she rhymed about how she was eager to become a wife and a mother.
Congrats to the couple.