A source reported to TMZ that Minaj referred to Petty as "one of her first loves." Minaj first dated Petty when she was 16-years-old, living in Queens.
According to the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services records, in April 1995, Kenneth Petty was convicted of attempted rape in first degree for the September 1994 incident involving a 16-year-old victim.
In 2002, Petty pleaded guilty in the shooting of Lamont Robinson according to The Blast. Kenneth pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in March 2006 and served seven years in prison after being sentenced to 10 years. In May 2013, Petty was released and had been on supervised release until May 2019.
According to the source of TMZ, Nicki Minaj understands Petty's troubled past, but she is confident that Petty has matured since his incarceration in the late 1990s. The "Super Bass" hitmaker believes in second chances and believes that Petty will be good to her.
TMZ sources said that Nicki and Kenneth still have great chemistry. Minaj used to be stressed before getting back together with Petty, but since rekindling their romance, the "Feeling Myself" singer is much happier, the source said.
Kenneth has been treating Nicki like a queen and even planned a birthday trip. The source told TMZ that they hadn't seen Minaj this happy with anyone in years.