Rapper Nicki Minaj announces retirement

This Nov. 6, 2017 file photo shows Nicki Minaj at the 14th Annual CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Gala in New York. The chart-topping rapper announced Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, on Twitter that she “decided to retire & have my family.” In the tweet, Minaj she took a jab at her critics and asked her fans to “keep reppin me, do it til da death of me.” In July, Minaj announced she was pulling out a show in Saudi Arabia to show support women's rights, gay rights and freedom of expression. She also canceled her appearance at the BET Experience Concert earlier this year. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Rap queen Nicki Minaj on Thursday shocked fans by announcing her retirement from music, saying she was going to focus on family.

The provocative 36-year-old known for hits like "Super Bass" is engaged to music executive Kenneth Petty, and she recently said a wedding is in the cards

in the coming months.

"I've decided to retire & have my family," tweeted the wildly successful rapper raised in the New York borough of Queens.

"I know you guys are happy now," she continued. "To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, X in the box - cuz ain't nobody checkin me."

"Love you for LIFE."

The surprising news fueled pregnancy rumors that had already been swirling since June after she appeared on a late-night television show and opted against drinking.

She went Instagram-official with her partner Petty in December 2018, after rebooting the relationship decades after they were involved as teenagers.

The rekindled romance raised eyebrows considering Petty's criminal past: he is a registered sex offender in New York and was convicted in 1995 of attempted rape.

Minaj dismissed criticism of her new relationship, saying "He was 15, she was 16 ... in a relationship. But go awf Internet. Y'all can't run my life. Y'all can't even run y'all own life. Thank you boo." (AFP)