For as long as she can remember, Nicki Minaj knew motherhood would be a big part of her future. “I want to be able to cook for my children, bake cookies for them, and watch them grow up. I just want to be Mommy,” she told Cosmopolitan back in 2015. “Take them to school, go to the parent-teacher conference, help them with their homework, and put their work on the refrigerator.” Well, her dreams of becoming a parent came true! In September 2020, Minaj welcomed her first child, a son whom she refers to as Papa Bear, with her husband, Kenneth Petty.
In February 2022, the “Super Bass” rapper opened up during an episode of “The Late Late Show With James Corden” about how her son was doing and the joys of being a mom. “He’s just walking around and telling everybody, grown adults, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?'” the legendary rapper shared. “If I’m feeding him his food and take too long with the next spoon, he’s like, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’ I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’ And he repeats everything now.”
She also reflected in that same interview on how becoming a mom has changed her. “I think motherhood has made me see more good in people, more good in the universe. Makes you a little bit more of a forgiving person,” she said, adding, “Not that you forgive people and you want everybody around you, because I have forgiven people recently and not necessarily wanted them in my space. But just have peace, move on, God bless you.” She explained why she has this new mindset: “When I look at my son, I am reminded that I am so blessed.”
Get to know Papa Bear ahead!