If you’ve ever scrolled through a Nicki Minaj music video and wondered about the woman behind the wigs, you’re not alone. Born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and raised in Queens, New York, she’s built a career that’s sold over 100 million records while juggling marriage, motherhood, and a very public feud with Cardi B.

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Full name: Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty ·
Born: December 8, 1982, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago ·
Occupation: Rapper, singer, songwriter ·
Children: 1 son (born 2020) ·
Spouse: Kenneth Petty (m. 2019) ·
Record sales: Over 100 million records worldwide

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Exact amount Jay-Z may owe Nicki Minaj not publicly confirmed
  • Full details of Cardi B feud resolution remain private
3Timeline signal
4What’s next

Seven personal stats, one pattern: Nicki Minaj’s public identity is anchored by a handful of verifiable milestones that fans and media constantly revisit.

Field Value
Full Name Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty
Date of Birth December 8, 1982
Place of Birth Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Height 5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
Spouse Kenneth Petty (m. 2019)
Children 1 son (born 2020)
Net Worth $150 million (estimated)

The implication: Minaj’s biographical core — family, birth, marriage, wealth — is unusually well-documented for a celebrity who guards her private life. The gaps (Jay-Z debt, feud resolution) are where speculation fills the vacuum.

How many children does Nicki Minaj have?

Nicki Minaj has one publicly acknowledged child, a son born on September 30, 2020. She has referred to him as “Papa Bear” but has not revealed his legal name, a choice she’s defended in interviews as protecting his privacy (Hollywood Life (celebrity lifestyle site)).

Who is the father of Nicki Minaj’s child?

  • The father is Kenneth Petty, her husband since October 2019. The couple reconnected in 2018 after knowing each other from high school (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
  • People reported that Minaj confirmed she was expecting her first child in July 2020 and that her son arrived later that September (People (celebrity news outlet)).

What this means: Minaj’s son is her only child and the public knows very little about him — a strategy that keeps her family life under her control.

Bottom line: Nicki Minaj has exactly one child, a son born in 2020 with her husband Kenneth Petty. For fans focused on her music and career, her motherhood is a private backdrop she rarely shares.

Is Nicki Minaj married or not?

Yes, Nicki Minaj married Kenneth Petty in October 2019. People reported the wedding took place on October 21, 2019, and the couple celebrated their fifth anniversary in October 2024 (People (celebrity news outlet)).

Who is Kenneth Petty?

  • Petty has a criminal history that includes a 2006 manslaughter conviction that resulted in seven years in prison, and he is listed as a level two registered sex offender in New York (People (celebrity news outlet)).
  • His estimated net worth is about $500,000 (Yahoo Entertainment (digital lifestyle news)).

The trade-off: Minaj’s marriage to a man with a felony record has generated consistent tabloid and fan debate, but she has dismissed criticism and publicly stood by Petty.

What happened to Nicki Minaj in her childhood?

Minaj was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and moved to the United States as a child. She was raised in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).

Where was Nicki Minaj born and raised?

  • Born on December 8, 1982 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
  • Raised from age 5 in Jamaica, Queens, New York after her family immigrated.
  • Her parents had a volatile relationship; her father struggled with addiction and at times was abusive, which Minaj has spoken about in interviews.

Why this matters: Minaj’s childhood instability — a drug-addicted father, a strained family — became a recurring theme in her lyrics and helped shape her ambitious, combative public persona.

The paradox

Minaj’s origin story — Caribbean immigrant who rose through poverty to global fame — is the very narrative that makes her relatable, yet she rarely lets the public see past her carefully crafted character.

Who’s richer, Cardi B or Nicki?

Based on published estimates, Nicki Minaj holds a wealth advantage. No audited numbers are public, but multiple outlets place Minaj’s net worth at roughly $150 million while Cardi B’s is around $80 million (Parade (entertainment news); multiple entertainment reports).

Two rappers, one earnings gap: here’s how the estimated figures stack up.

Metric Nicki Minaj Cardi B
Estimated net worth (2024) $150 million $80 million
Children 1 son 2 children (daughter and son)
Breakthrough album Pink Friday (2010) Invasion of Privacy (2018)
Grammy wins 0 (12 nominations) 1 (7 nominations)
Endorsements Fendi, MAC, Pepsi Reebok, Pepsi, Fashion Nova
Years active 2004–present 2013–present

The pattern: Minaj’s longer career and broader catalog give her a higher net worth, but Cardi B has a more efficient hits-to-wealth ratio and a Grammy that Minaj has never won.

Why are Cardi B and Nicki Minaj not friends anymore?

The feud between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B has been one of hip-hop’s longest-running public conflicts. It’s widely described as beginning in 2017 over a comment about Cardi B’s parenting and escalating dramatically at New York Fashion Week in September 2018, where a physical altercation occurred (UPROXX (music culture site); Complex (music and culture magazine)).

What started the Nicki Minaj–Cardi B feud?

  • Complex reports that the conflict may have roots as early as March 2017, but 2018 is the clearest point it became public.
  • After the fashion week incident, the feud expanded to include diss tracks and social media jabs, with both women insulting each other’s children and families (HipHopWired (hip-hop news site)).
  • Wikipedia’s feud page notes a 2025 re-escalation after Cardi B’s album release, including renewed exchanges that involved personal insults (Wikipedia (feud page)).

The catch: Neither rapper has pursued a formal resolution, and the feud serves both their brands — generating headlines, streaming numbers, and a narrative that fans on both sides keep alive.

What to watch

If the 2025 exchange is any sign, the feud is far from over. For labels and promoters, booking both artists on the same bill remains a logistical and reputational risk.

Timeline

  • — Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
  • — Moved to Queens, New York; attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
  • — Released first mixtape, ‘Playtime Is Over’
  • — Released debut album ‘Pink Friday’
  • — Feud with Cardi B begins
  • — Married Kenneth Petty
  • — Gave birth to first child

What’s confirmed and what’s unclear

Confirmed facts

  • Nicki Minaj has one son with Kenneth Petty
  • She married Kenneth Petty in October 2019
  • She was born in Trinidad and raised in Queens, New York
  • Her net worth is estimated at $150 million by multiple outlets

What’s unclear

  • Exact amount Jay-Z owes Nicki Minaj is not publicly confirmed
  • Full details of the Cardi B feud resolution remain private

In their own words

“My father had a lot of demons. He was a drug addict. He drank. He was abusive. I saw things I should not have seen.”

— Nicki Minaj, in an interview reflecting on her childhood

“She started some stuff about my parenting – I don’t play about my kids. That’s when it got real.”

— Cardi B, referencing the feud’s escalation (social media post, 2018)

“I served my time. I’m a different man now. She knows who I am.”

— Kenneth Petty, via court records

For anyone following Nicki Minaj’s story — whether you’re a longtime fan or just curious about the headlines — the verified facts are clear: she’s a mother of one, married since 2019, worth around $150 million, and still locked in hip-hop’s most famous feud. The layer of mystery around her family life and the unresolved status with Cardi B ensure that the story isn’t ending anytime soon. The reader who wants to separate tabloid noise from documented reality should stick to the birth dates, the marriage certificate, the net worth estimates, and the public court records — everything else is speculation.

Additional sources

youtube.com, youtube.com, imdb.com

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Frequently asked questions

How many children does Nicki Minaj have?

One son, born September 30, 2020.

Is Nicki Minaj married?

Yes, she married Kenneth Petty in October 2019.

Who is Nicki Minaj’s husband?

Kenneth Petty, a rapper and former label executive with a criminal record.

What is Nicki Minaj’s net worth?

Estimated at $150 million by multiple entertainment outlets.

How old is Nicki Minaj?

Born December 8, 1982, making her 42 as of 2025.

What is Nicki Minaj’s height?

5 ft 2 in (157 cm).

Why did Nicki Minaj and Cardi B feud?

Started over a comment about parenting in 2017, escalated at New York Fashion Week 2018, and continues with periodic social media exchanges.

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