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US rapper, Nicki Minaj, says she has decided to retire in order to have a family and told her fans that she loves them “for life”.

The Grammy-nominated rapper is dating a man called Kenneth Petty and has hinted that they are planning to get married. As well as music, the 36-year-old has appeared in several Hollywood films and has her own radio show.

She has, however, not made it clear how many of her ventures she is retiring from or, even, if she is being serious.

After releasing a string of mixtapes in the 2000s, Nicki Minaj joined Drake on Lil Wayne’s record label Young Money Entertainment. Her debut album Pink Friday came out in 2010. Mega-hits like Super Bass, Anaconda and Starships then established her as one of the world’s biggest female rappers.

Her solo albums have sold millions — but her collaborations list is just as impressive: Ludacris, Usher, David Guetta, Madonna, Ariana Grande, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, and we could go on.

She has been nominated for 10 Grammys, won five MTV Video Music Awards and broken the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a solo female artiste. Away from music, her film appearances include The Other Woman and Ice Age: Continental Drift. 

However, it seems like the retirement has come out of nowhere, leading many to speculate Nicki Minaj isn’t being serious. If true, she will not be the first musician to retire prematurely — Jay-Z did it in 2003 and has since released five studio albums, and Eminem has done the same.

But looking back over Nicki’s career, she has expressed a desire to start a family and retire in various tracks. She always wanted to open doors for other female rappers to take centre stage — and has achieved that with the arrival of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. But maybe the competition has started to get a bit much for her? Nicki has never won a Grammy, but Cardi B picked up Rap Album of the Year for Invasion of Privacy.

Nicki is no longer at the top of the game and arguably being outshone and that is likely a source of frustration for her. She has become increasingly critical of the music industry. So, maybe, she will take a bit of time out and come back to reclaim her crown. — BBC