Nicki Minaj is as in-your-face as they come. Born as Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and Tobago in 1982, she moved to New York City when she was a5-years-old. Her natural musical talent became apparent pretty early on, as did her ability to be in-your-face and difficult at the drop of a hat. She was a natural for the hip hop world of rap!
She met Kenneth "Zoo" Petty when she was around 16-years-old and the two dated for a time. Fast forward to 2018 and Petty, only five years out of prison, and Minaj are linked romantically. Flings are one thing. But she actually married the guy in October 2019. The ex-con with his own gallery of mug shots and the multi-millionaire rapper actually tied the knot.
It's a strange pairing. On their own, they are odd enough, but together? It's whacko land big time. Here are 15 strange (but true) facts about Zoo Petty and Nicki Minaj.
15 Petty Is A Blast From The Minaj Past
The pair go back to Queens, New York City when Nicki Minaj was only 16-years-old. They dated and she refers to him as one of her first loves. So they go way back. Nicki has also said he has matured over the years. "If you love it, let it go," she has rapped, alluding to the fact they lost contact for a number of years.
14 Petty: Run-In With The Law Number One
Let's get down to it. He was convicted in New York in April 1995 of attempted rape involving a 16-year-old girl. He was about the same age as the girl at the time. As a result, he is a level two registered sex offender. That means that, wherever he lives, he is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Nicki has been vocal and loud in her defense of him. He has, wisely, kept his trap shut (mostly).
13 Petty: Run-In With The Law Number Two
That's strike one. But there is more. In March 2006 Petty pleaded guilty to the first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of a man in 2002. Petty popped the guy three times at close range. At the time, the cops suspected the shooting had been the result of some gang beef. Petty ended up severing seven years in prison, having been sentenced to ten. He was only released in 2013.
12 Did He Break Up With Ex To Hook Up With Rich Minaj? Yes
Those romance rumors first started circulating in November 2018. It was like totally obvious because Minaj started posting pictures of the two of them to her Instagram account. Petty's ex, one Noelle Redbone, took exception to the goings-on, posting protestations to her Instagram account, claiming the rapper was "messing with my man". Of course, it didn't do any good. Follow the money.
11 Insta-Famous Bartender Ex: 15 Of Fame, Claiming Home Invasion
Petty's ex, Noelle Redbone is a curvy bartender. After the romance between Petty and Nicki Minaj hit social media, Noelle decided to shoot for her 15 of fame, claiming she had been beaten up in a home invasion. She posted pictures of what looked to be her battered face. There were even pictures of red blood-like splatters on the floor. Fake? Probably.
10 Get A Room: Of Booty Grabbing, Steamy Cleavage Filled Posts
OK, let's face it, even B.P. (Before Petty), Nicki Minaj wasn't the bashful type. Remember when she sat in the audience at 2017's Paris Fashion bare-breasted? But After Petty, we have steamy Instagram posts after raunchy Instagram posts. This one is pretty mild. Some leave almost nothing to the imagination. We bet her numbers are skyrocketing. That's the point.
9 "Zoo Bang" Works In The Music Industry
"Zoo" is a nickname Petty got way back when. We can't quite figure out how and why. He prefers it to Kenneth. That we can totally see. Sometimes he is referred to as "Zoo Bang", which we think we get. According to some sources he "works" in the music industry. We think that means he is sitting around waiting for Nicki to give him something useful to do.
8 The Marriage
The two got married in what was billed as a "secret" ceremony in October 2019. Much was made of the $1 million-plus ring Zoo "bought" the not so blushing bride. Come on now. We all know how that works. "Come with me Zoo," Nicki said, "I'm going to buy a stinker of a big ring." And she did just that.
7 Barbie No More: Minaj "Retires", Or Maybe Not
It's 2019 and the 36-year-old Nicki is feeling broody. She suddenly announces on Twitter that she is going to cease doing the Barbie thing and retire to have babies and focus on family life. Shock, horror from fans everywhere. She kind of back-tracked, apologizing to upset fans. So who knows where the whole Mother Earth thing has gotten to.
6 Getting Real: Minaj Swings Both Ways Or Not?
Back ten or so years ago when being "bi" was all the rage, Nicki Minaj jumped on the bandwagon and claimed the label for herself. Only thing was, she was lying. Does Nicki Minaj lie? No way. Yes, it's surprising to hear, but she later admitted that she did it to get attention. It worked.
5 2019: Another Day, Another Petty Arrest
Zoo is the kind of guy who runs stops signs in the middle of the night. Only thing was that one night in March of 2019, Long Island's finest pulled him over for the offense. Oops, his license was suspended. He got the opportunity to take his 12th (yes one dozen) mug shot. He pleaded guilty and the whole thing went away. Again.
4 Petty: 2020 Arrest And Social Media Flack
You maybe get the idea Zoo Bang pretty much does his own thing his own way. But when he moved to California and neglected to register as a sex offender, the Feds came calling, with handcuffs. Wendy Williams, that dedicated basher of Nicki Minaj took to social media telling her she was a fool to have married the guy. There seem to be very few people who disagree with Wendy on that one.
3 It Runs In The Family? Minaj's Brother Gets 25 To Life
Nicki loves her brother Jelani Maraj. She loves him so much that she wrote a letter to the judge when he went on trial for the serial sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl. He claimed he had had a drinking problem. It was no use. In January 2020 he got 25 years to life. The question is, will she and Zoo visit him in prison? Bad vibes for Zoo, we think.
2 Petty: The Dude Has 5 Kids?
This is where it gets vague. Some claim Petty has five kids. Who they are and where they live are both vague. New York is a good bet. Only thing is, the whole thing is the stuff of rumors and gossip. So who knows? Supposedly, he is involved in their lives. Having spent so much time in prison and now living in California, we doubt it.
1 Love Is Blind: But Don't Expect Them To Grow Old Together
Zoo Bang has his own gallery of mug shots on Google Images. The guy's been in and out of jail for all sorts of things. He's done a lot of hard time, but it's difficult to see what else he has accomplished in his 41-years. His music business career seems to consist of being in a couple of Nicki's videos. The "bad boy" thing will get old. Sad to say, but the odds for it being a long-running thing are not good.