Nicki Minaj has taken to Twitter to announce that she will be retiring from her music career so that she can start a family.
Nicki also took the opportunity to assure her fans that in spite of her retirement, she "loves them for life".
"I’ve decided to retire & have my family," the 36-year-old wrote. "I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, [cross] in the box- cuz ain’t nobody checkin me. Love you for LIFE [sic]."
This sudden and unexpected announcement comes weeks after the rap star told her fans, via her 'Queen Radio' show, that she was going to marry her fiancé, Kenneth Petty, soon.
On August 12, Nicki announced on the radio show that the wedding would be in less than three months, People reported. According to the publication, she explained that she and Petty "filed for the marriage license and we still had to pick it up and I was travelling, by the time I came back, we had to renew it again."
Remember that physical altercation between Nicki Minaj and fellow female rapper Cardi B at Harper's Bazaar's ICONS party at the Plaza Hotel?Needless to say, the prospect of Nicki's retirement sparked a pretty emotional reaction from fans.
"About to look up the word 'retire' hopefully it means dropping an album tomorrow, wish me luck," one fan joked.
"It destroys me from the inside I really wanted to believe it was a joke but apparently not. Nicki thanks for being the air i breathe and make me happy everyday i love you unconditionally you being happy i'm also be happy today and always. I love u mother," another of Nicki's Barbz gushed.
The Super Bass hitmaker, who, throughout her career, has been nominated for 10 Grammys, won five MTV Video Music Awards and impressively went on to break the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a solo female artist. Nicki's debut album, Pink Friday, was released almost a decade ago, back in 2010.
Check out Nicki dissing Cardi B in this interview:Her hit songs Super Bass, Starships and Anaconda catapulted the performer to worldwide fame. Plus she has collaborated with the likes of Ariana Grande, Madonna, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Ludacris, Usher, David Guetta and Jessie J. And, of course, Nicki's solo albums have sold millions of copies worldwide.
It's fair to say Ms Nicki Minaj is a true rap megastar and has massively impacted on popular culture throughout her nine-year career.