Nicki Minaj slammed for posting photo with rumored boyfriend — who is a registered sex offender

Nicki Minaj‘s rumored new boyfriend has a disturbing past.

The “Barbie Dreams” rapper celebrated her 36th birthday over the weekend with Kenneth Petty, fueling speculation that the two are more than friends. Minaj shared a photo on Instagram with her leg wrapped around Petty, quoting Adele’s song “Hello” in the caption. She also shared a second solo shot of Petty looking off into the distance.

Minaj eventually turned off comments on the post after facing backlash from fans and nonfans. Why? Because Petty is a registered level 2 sex offender who was convicted for the attempted rape of a 16-year-old girl when he was around the same age. He was also convicted of first-degree manslaughter years later.

According to court records obtained by TMZ, Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1995 as prosecutors claimed he used a sharp object when he tried to force the teenage girl to have sexual intercourse. He served almost four years in a New York state prison for the crime. After he was released, Petty was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and served seven years, according to TMZ. He was released in 2013.

Minaj is getting slammed on social media for her rumored new beau. (Some die-hard fans are saying the man she is with is not Petty; however, he has the same identifying facial marks as the mug shot photo.)

The rapper doesn’t care what people have to say. On Monday, she posted more photos with Petty, including a mirror selfie of the two in bed. (Click through to see.)

Minaj is liking comments on the pic in support of her relationship. She also replied to one fan, seemingly addressing the attempted rape conviction. “He was 15, she was 16 … in a relationship,” Minaj replied. “But go awf, Internet. Y’all can’t run my life. Y’all can’t even run y’all own life. Thank you boo.”

According to reports, they both grew up in Queens and have been friends for years. However, she tweeted that Petty does not have social media as fake pages have already been created — but deleted the message.

Minaj also retweeted a fan’s message calling the “thirst” about her private life “sad.”

This isn’t the first time the company Minaj keeps has been called into question. Earlier this year, she was slammed for working with Tekashi69 who pleaded guilty to the use of a child in a sexual performance. He was involved in filming a 13-year-old girl performing sexual acts on a friend.

One year ago, Minaj’s 39-year-old brother, Jelani Maraj, was found guilty of raping an 11-year-old girl at his New York home. She has visited him in jail, but has not publicly addressed the incident. He has denied wrongdoing.

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