'Pound the Alarm' - Nicki Minaj is retiring, or at least she claims she is.
The rap superstar made the surprise announcement on Twitter on Friday, writing that she was retiring to have a family.
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"I've decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me."
The Trinidadian singer who grew up in New York is widely regarded as the most influential female rap artist of all time, selling more than 20 million singles as a lead artist and more than five million albums worldwide. She's been called the "Queen of Rap" by several music commentators while others have also noted her eccentric fashion choices.
"[Minaj] has, by any available metric, surpassed every other female hip hop artists to become the most successful in history. Minaj will be as important to this decade as The Notorious B.I.G and Tupac were to the 90s," said Patrik Sandberg of British magazine Dazed in 2017.
Her first album, Pink Friday, was released in 2010 and birthed hits such as 'Super Bass'. She has released three albums since. Her latest, Queen, became her highest-charting in several countries.
The announcement from Minaj on Friday shocked many of her fans. Some questioned if she was for real after little warning.
"About to look up the word 'retire' hopefully it means dropping an album tomorrow, wish me luck," said one person who posted a picture of himself with a tear rolling down his face. "She really just up and left," said another.
"I love you more. Thank you for 11 years of life. You’ll forever be my Queen. Stay beautiful and stay reigning. May God bless your beautiful family. Please don’t forget me because I can never forget you. I love you sm. "
Minaj is in a relationship with Kenneth Petty. She recently changed her Twitter handled to Mrs. Petty.
American media have attempted to contact Minaj's representatives to verify if Minaj is stopping all her endeavours which range from acting to fashion.
Newshub.
