Nicki Minaj apparently announced her retirement from music on Thursday.
"I've decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now," she wrote on Twitter. "To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, in the box- cuz ain't nobody checkin me. Love you for LIFE."
—Mrs. Petty (@NICKIMINAJ) September 5, 2019
The unexpected announcement comes just weeks after Minaj revealed plans to marry her boyfriend, Kenneth Petty.
On August 12, during an episode of her Apple Music show "Queen Radio," Minaj said she and Petty had obtained a marriage license and would be married within 80 days.
"I have to work on my album and I have a lot to focus on that I don't want to do the big wedding now. We'll do the big wedding later," Minaj said, as reported by People.
Minaj has been referring to Petty as her "husband" since at least March and currently goes by "Mrs. Petty" on Twitter. The "Megatron" rapper was criticized when she went public with their relationship in December, largely because Petty is a registered sex offender.
Court documents obtained by TMZ show that 41-year-old Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape when he was 16 years old.
New York state's sex offender registry confirms that Petty committed the crime in 1994. His conviction details reveal that he used a "knife/cutting instrument" against his victim, who was also 16.
Petty served almost four years in New York state prison. Later, he was convicted of first-degree manslaughter for shooting a man and served nearly seven additional years in prison. He was released in 2013.
Minaj acknowledged Petty's attempted rape conviction while defending her relationship against critics on Instagram.
"He was 15, she was 16 … in a relationship," she wrote. "But go awf, Internet. Y'all can't run my life. Y'all can't even run y'all own life. Thank you boo."
Despite the controversy, which has been broiling for months now, it's unclear what exactly inspired Minaj's newfound interest in retirement.
Minaj, the highest-selling female rapper of all time, was recently featured on Megan Thee Stallion's hit single "Hot Girl Summer" and Pop Smoke's "Welcome to the Party" remix.
Hours before she announced her retirement on Twitter, Minaj posted an old clip of her song "Sweetest Girl," off her 2008 mixtape "Sucka Free."
"I wish I could go back in time & hug this lil girl," Minaj wrote in the caption. "Used to be the #SweetestGirl."
Representatives for Minaj didn't return Insider's request for comment.
