Nicki Minaj's Son: Everything to Know

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Nicki Minaj Instagram

Nicki Minajproudly takes on the “most fulfilling job” of her life: motherhood.

The “Super Freaky Girl” rapperwelcomed her first child, a son, with husbandKenneth “Zoo” Pettyon Sept. 30, 2020, after the couplewed in October 2019.

Sincebecoming a mom, Minaj says she’s “more of a forgiving person.”

“I think motherhood has made me see more good in people, more good in the universe,” she said during a February 2022 appearance onThe Late Late Show with James Corden.

During a conversation withE! News, Minaj shared thatshe’s experienced “more anxiety” sincewelcoming her son, whom she publicly calls “Papa Bear.” The anxiety is particularly intense when she has to be apart from him for extended periods of time.

“I remember being in the U.K. and just bawling,” Minaj told the outlet. “And when I try to FaceTime him, I get more sad. So, I try to hold out on FaceTiming him because to then put the phone down is so difficult.”

From his birth story to his adorable nickname and his first major milestones, here’s everything to know aboutNicki Minaj’s 4-year-old son.

He’s a Libra

Nicki Minaj Instagram

Minaj was in labor “all night” with him

Three months after her little one’s arrival, the rapper told fans about his birth story in aTwitter Q&A.

“I was butt naked,” she said of the moment her water broke. “Just got out the shower & I asked him [husband Petty] to rub my back. As soon as I started scooting over to him in the bed I just felt the water start coming out. I was weirdly calm & I quietly said ‘omg, I’m about to be in labor.’ "

Minaj first introduced her son to fans with his adorable nickname: “Papa Bear.” She has yet to reveal his real name, referring to him as “Papa” and “Papa Bear” on social media. She and Petty have both leaned into the adorable nickname, dressing him in shirts withBurberry’s classic Thomas Bearand even setting him up with apersonalized license platefor his toy car.

Minaj changed his name “at the last minute”

“You know what his name was supposed to be? I think I might still change it,” she said on her fan radio on Jan. 1, 2021, according toET. “A lot of people said they liked it, but I said, ‘Nah,’ " she explained before revealing her son’s initial name. “His name was going to be Ninja.”

He didn’t have a nanny at first

A few weeks after welcoming her son, the rapper revealed that she hadyet to hire any childcare, calling it a “difficult decision.”

Responding to a fan on Twitter who asked why she couldn’t hire a nanny like a “normal celebrity” because they missed her, Minaj replied, “Lol. I rlly [sic] should get one. Difficult decision tho [sic].”

He’s got a strong sense of humor

In March 2022, the proud mom shared an adorable clip of her son playing his new favorite game, a version of peek-a-boo, which involves getting his mom’s attention so that he can ignore her.

“Every day papa makes me call him so he can ignore me & look [at] me from the corner of his eye. Just so I can keep saying ‘I see you’ and he can pull the covers or curtains over his face & hide from me. 🙈🤫👀,” she wrote, adding the game made her nervous at first. “At first I used to rlly [sic] think he was just zoning out & not hearing me & I got a lil worried. But no it’s just him thinking he a lil comedian or smthn [sic],” she explained. “Lol this boy. Mama loves you so much Papa 😘.”

He had aKung Fu Panda-themed first birthday party

To celebrate his first birthday, Minaj and Petty threw their son an epicKung Fu Panda-themed birthday bash.

“On Sept. 30th you turned 1. Mama is so proud of you, PapaBear,” Minaj wroteon Instagramalongside photos of the family of three. “You’re the best boy in the whole wide world. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but God bless you, son. Mommy & Daddy will never stop loving you.”

He’s got his own wheels

He’s a jet setter

He already has a designer wardrobe

He had a Minions-themed second birthday party

Minaj and Petty spared no expense fortheir son’s birthday party in L.A. The “Super Bass” singer gave her Instagram followers a tour of the venue before guests arrived.

“Ice cream machine, cotton candy machine, smoothie machine, pop corn, magic mocktail bar, bouncy house & slide, slime station, Lego hat making station, coloring station, face painting, etc. etc.,” she captioned the video, listing off all the kid-friendly fun available at the Minions-themed bash.

Minaj then posted a family photo with a sweet message to her toddler.

“#PapaBear, your Dad & I love you so much. You make us so happy. You’re perfect. Thank you for giving mama new meaning to life. God cover you. Always,” she wrote.

He appeared inVoguewith Minaj

Minaj and her son posed forVogue’sDecember 2023 issue. The mom-of-one also opened up about motherhood — and the parenting realities that were quickly revealed to her.

“I think that deep down inside, I believed that once I had a family, I would just lose the desire to make music,” she told the outlet. “But what happens is that you find out you have to work. If I’m going to have mom guilt regardless, I might as well continue doing the only thing I know how to freaking do, which is make music.”

The rapper went on to declare that “there’s no such thing as confidence in parenthood,” something she wished someone had told her before she welcomed Papa Bear.

“There’s a level of anxiety, and you think it’s going to go away, but, in fact, it gets scarier,” she said.

source: people.com