Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault and drug use.
Rap icon Nicki Minaj's recent arrest case over the suspicion of illegal drug possession has the internet shocked.
2015: Nicki Minaj pays for her brother’s bail over charges of child rape
Nicki is no stranger to controversies. When her brother Jelani Maraj was arrested and charged with predatory sexual assault on a child, Nicki came in and paid the bail money, which was $100,000, as per PageSix. Her actions copped a lot of backlash online and Maraj was found guilty in 2017. After he was convicted, Minaj visited him in jail, which TMZ reported at the time.
Maraz was ultimately sentenced to 25 years to life in 2020.
2018: Nicki Minaj goes public with partner Kenneth Petty, who has been convicted of rape and manslaughter
Minaj and Petty had known each other in high school. But when they reunited several years later, fans were not necessarily happy with the Super Bass singer’s decision. It turns out that Petty is a registered sex offender. He was convicted for first-degree attempted rap in 1994, as a teenager. When her listeners expressed their disappointment, Nicki defended Petty via an Instagram post. "He was 15, she was 16 ... in a relationship," wrote the rapper in the caption.
The two have tied the knot since then and share a child.
2021: Nicki Minaj named in the lawsuit filed by Kenneth Petty’s victim
A follow-up to the aforementioned point, Jennifer Hough, Petty’s victim, filed a lawsuit against the duo for alleged harassment, intimidation, and infliction of emotional distress. The court documents were obtained by TMZ, and the lawsuit mentioned that Hough and her family were offered up to $500,000 in exchange if Hough revokes the allegations.
The couple did not respond to the lawsuit for months, and Hough requested a $20 million default judgment. Nicki never addressed the case publicly, but in a private case filing she denounced the allegations, claiming that she "never offered her any money in return for a statement.”
Hough voluntarily dismissed the case against Minaj later on.
2021: The Tracy Chapman and Nicki Minaj feud
Country singer Tracy Chapman won the lawsuit against Nicki over the claims that the latter ripped off Chapman’s work without permission. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2018, which claimed that Nicki’s song called Sorry (which featured Nas), copied the melody and the lyrics off Chapman’s song Baby Can I Hold You from 1988. The suit mentioned that while the rapper’s legal team reached out to the Fast Cars singer for permission to interpolate, Chapman turned it down. Despite this, the song was put out for commercial consumption.
2024: Nicki Minaj gets arrested in Amsterdam
In an Instagram live that went viral, Nicki could be seen being escorted by police officers over suspicion of illegal drug possession. This happened as she was in Amsterdam, preparing to board a flight to Manchester for her concert. She was released the same day but ended up postponing the show.
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