Kenneth “Zoo” Petty and Nicki Minaj.Photo: Nicki Minaj/Instagram
Fans are not impressed withNicki Minaj’snew beau.
The “Barbie Dreams” rapper appeared to make her reported romance with Kenneth “Zoo” Petty — whois a registered sex offenderin New York — Instagram official over the weekend after posting photos of him from her 36th birthday celebration in Turks and Caicos.
On Sunday, Minaj shared two photos — one that features her posing with her leg wrapped around Petty while he looks at her lovingly another shot of him looking off into the distance — along with a caption quoting lyrics fromAdele’s2015 hit, “Hello.”
“Did you ever make it out of that town where nothing ever happens?…it’s no secret…that the both of us…are running out of time,” Minaj wrote.
A more recent collection of photos features a nearly-naked Minaj posing on a bed with Petty, who snaps their picture in a mirror. “Oh they wanna talk? Let’s give’m smthn to talk about,” she captioned the image.
Petty, 40, is alevel two registered sex offenderin New York, which means he’s considered a “moderate risk of repeat offense” and will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
According to online recordsfrom the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services, Petty was convicted in April 1995 of attempted rape in the first degree for an incident that occurred in September 1994 involving a 16-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 18 to 54 months in prison, but it is unclear how much time he actually served.
TMZ reportsMinaj has known Petty since they were teenagers and is “confident he’s matured.” The site reports sources close to Minaj claim the mother of Petty’s girlfriend at the time filed the charges because she did not approve of him.
Neither a manager nor a rep for Minaj returned PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Another joked that Petty’s name is a sign that Minaj shouldn’t be with him, “Nicki Minaj’s new man’s name is Kenneth Petty….That name is a sign… DUMP 👏🏾 HIM 👏🏾 SIS 👏🏾.”
Some fans expressed concern for Minaj while noting that her 40-year-old brother,Jelani Maraj, was found guiltyin November 2017 of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl. Minaj has also openly supported rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, who she collaborated with on their track “Fefe” and whowas sentenced to four years of probationin October for his involvement in a sexually explicit video depicting a 13-year-old girl.
“I hate to say it, but after #NickiMinaj defended her brother (sex offender) and 6ix9ine (sex offender), I can’t honestly say I’m surprised to hear she’s now defending her new boyfriend- another sex offender,” one Twitter user wrote. “It’s really, really sad.”
Another said, “I’m very concerned aboutNicki Minaj’s new hometown boyfriend! Ruined my weekend. No good will come of it, Barbs!”
Minaj first sparked the romance rumors after sheposted photos of herhanging out with Petty last month. Last Thursday, she took toTwitterto call out commenters on social media but did not directly say what prompted her to do so: “No one on social media has ever sinned. They are all perfect. They piss champagne & walk on streets of gold,” she wrote.
Minaj has previously been linked toSafaree Samuels,Meek MillandNas.
source: people.com
