Newlywed Nicki Minaj Getting Pressure From Mom To Give Her Grandkids; Nicki Responds
Carol wants grandbabies.
Getty Carol Maraj is best known as Nicki Minaj's mother. But Carol has never been just a music industry mom. She is a singer and writer in her own right and has recently released her first single, a gospel song called "What Makes You." Carol is also a motivational speaker who has helped women struggling in abusive relationships. She started a foundation to assist families in leaving abusive situations.
She also recently became mother-in-law to Nicki's new husband Kenneth Petty. Nicki has been seeing Petty for over a year and hinting that they were going to make things official since early on in their relationship. Because Nicki knew Petty back when they were teens, Carol likely has a keen perspective on the relationship and the marriage but she's mostly keeping her opinions to herself. She has dropped some hints lately that she wouldn't mind adding "grandmother" to her resume.
Who is Carol Maraj? Read on for all the details.
1. Carol's early years
Carol grew up in Fort George St. James in Trinidad and Tobago. She got married at 20 and quickly had two children. When she was 24, she moved to New York and began working for the opportunity to bring the rest of her family over with her. Her husband followed six months later but the children stayed behind with Maraj's mother. When they arrived five years later, the situation in Carol's marriage was dire. Her husband had become abusive and she spent years trying to get away from him and keep her kids safe from the abuse.
2. Dropping a new single
Nowadays, Carol Maraj is mainly known for her charitable foundation, which helps families affected by domestic violence, something she is passionate about after her own experience with a violent spouse. "Our mission is to empower affected families by providing individualized programs that offer critical assistance, to elevate their condition and more importantly re-affirm their human value. The Family Life Enhancement Benefit Concert was created by the Carol Maraj Foundation to raise money to provide urgently needed resources to distressed families affected by domestic violence," the organization website reads.
Now, in addition to her charitable work, Maraj has branched into music with her new single "What Makes You." She's been promoting the single but everyone keeps asking about Nicki and her new husband Kenneth Petty.
Her new single dropped this month.
3. Nicki and Kenneth
If anyone besides Nicki knows Kenneth Petty, it would be Nicki's mom Carol. Nicki says she has known Petty since she was a teen and her mother would have been there for all of that. Back in January, she took to Twitter to share that she and Petty go way back, saying “...we were like this about each other since we were very young kids in the hood. He was on my body b4 the big ol’ ghetto booty. B4 the fame & fortune. Fought my bf cuz I wouldn’t be his girl. He was always a lil brazy. But anyway, timing is everything.” Petty does have a history of legal trouble, as we have shared here, but Carol hasn't said much about how she feels about Petty, except to be happy for her daughter.
4. Dropping hints about marriage
Nicki has been stringing fans along on when her wedding would be for months. Back in June, we reported that she had her marriage license but was keeping her lips sealed about when the big day would be. On her Queen Radio show on Apple Music, the rapper let her fans know that they had a marriage license, saying: "We did get our marriage license. I think I have what I was striving for, just happiness. It was so hard to get to a happy place. Now that I’m there I don’t want to compromise that for anyone or anything.”
5. Instagram officially married
Earlier in October Nicki finally let fans know that she and Petty had tied the knot. The Shade Room reposted one of Minaj's Instagram stories that showed mugs emblazoned with the words Mrs. and Mr. as well as baseball caps saying Bride and Groom. She then changed up her Twitter handle to say Mrs. Petty, which leaves no room for doubt that they are married.
They got married earlier in October.
6. Biological clock is ticking
In an interview about her new gospel song, Carol couldn't help putting little pressure for grandkids out there. “I’m very happy that she got married,” Carol said when asked if she wanted to say anything about the recent marriage. “Her biological clock is ticking and it’s about time she got married and gave me some grandchildren. So I’m very happy.”
7. Nicki always wanted kids
Nicki hasn't been shy about wanting to have children. In a 2014 interview, she told Complex, “After the [fifth album], I’ll probably have my baby,” she predicted. “I wonder if I’m going to be one of those women who balances my child with a career. I always said, ‘When I have my baby, it’s going to be all about my baby.’ I don’t want the child feeling like they don’t have all of my attention, so I always said, ‘I’m going to take a little break.’ But we’ll see.” She only has four studio albums out but she may be ready to roll now that she is married.
Will Nicki give her mom the grandbabies she wants? Wait and see.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.