Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty are still very much married

Nicki Minaj's recent social media activities left her fans worried about troubles in her marriage with Kenneth Petty, however, a report claims that the couple is still very much together.

Nicki Minaj, who changed all of her social media handles to "Mrs. Petty" after her nuptials with Kenneth Petty last October, recently changed her Instagram name to "Barbie" and her Twitter name to "YIKES," which is also the title of her latest single.

Amidst speculations that Nicki removed "Mrs. Petty" name due to troubles in paradise, a source close to the rapper told Page Six that the Pettys are still together and the name change was just a teaser to her new music.

"Nicki Minaj is still with her man. It's just business as usual for her highness as she prepares to release new music," the insider revealed.

Minaj and Petty's love life has never been a smooth sail, mostly due to the numerous criminal cases against him. As a teen in the 1990s, the music industry professional was convicted of attempted rape of a 16-year-old girl. Later in 2006, he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, serving seven years of his 10-year sentence. Just last month, he was placed in federal custody for not registering his history as a convicted sex offender in California.

Meanwhile, Minaj who has been repeatedly criticised for her relationship with Petty, defended him in 2018 by saying: "He was 15, she was 16 ... in a relationship. But go awf, internet, y'all can't run my life. y'all can't even run y'all own life."

"You should've never married him, because now you've ruined everything about what your brand could be, again. You're never gonna stand a chance when you're with a man who pulls a knife at rape point ... a molester ... a registered sex offender," television host Wendy Williams said about Minaj last month.

The 37-year-old was also criticised for requesting the court to reduce the sentence of her brother, Jelani Minaj, who was sentenced to 25 years of life behind bars last year after being convicted of repeatedly raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter.

Minaj and Petty tied the knot in a private ceremony in October 2019, and obtained a marriage license in Beverly Hills. The rapper sparked pregnancy rumours in February by posting a video with Petty rubbing her belly.