After being spotted celebrating A$AP Rocky’s legal victory, Nicki Minaj has been caught in the crosshairs, as fans have reminded her of the legal woes within her own orbit.
In case you missed it, A$AP Rocky was recently found not guilty on two counts of assault with a firearm, stemming from an incident involving his former friend and bandmate, Terell Ephron, back in 2021. A Los Angeles jury came to the verdict after five hours of deliberation, acquitting the rapper from a sentence that could have seen him in prison for up to 24 years. It marks the conclusion of a trial that began in late January and lasted about three weeks.
Asap rocky jumps and hugs Rihanna after being found not guilty pic.twitter.com/Cg1SpkvsDx
— f⌖ (@ohfold) February 19, 2025
Footage from inside the courtroom at the time of the verdict shows Rocky leaping from his chair as loud cheers are heard throughout the court. The rapper is then seen excitedly hugging his girlfriend, Rihanna, with whom he shares two children, but they weren’t the only musicians to revel in the news. Minaj, who has collaborated with Rocky multiple times over the years — including on 2017’s “Plain Jane” — took to social media after the verdict to show her support for the rapper and Rihanna.
Sharing a photo of the couple and their children, RZA and Riot, to her Instagram Stories, Minaj accompanied her celebration with the caption “To God be the glory.” That all might seem straightforward enough, were it not for eagle-eyed fans reviving questions around Minaj’s own brushes with the law, on account of her husband of six years, Kenneth Petty. If you recall, Petty is himself embroiled in multiple legal dramas of his own, stretching back to 1995.
Nicki Minaj shows her support for A$AP Rocky after he won his court case:
“To God be the glory” pic.twitter.com/IyYefQHPKy
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) February 19, 2025
At that time, Petty was convicted of attempted rape in the first degree, after which he served four years in prison and was listed as a level two registered sex offender in New York state. Flash-forward to 2020 and Petty was arrested again, this time for failing to register as a sex offender when he moved in with Minaj in California. But it doesn’t stop there. Petty pleaded guilty to manslaughter after killing a man in 2002, serving seven years in prison until his release in 2013.
God don’t like rapists btw https://t.co/gW7ytQiKJD
— 𝕍 𝔼 𝔾 𝔸 (@norvega64) February 19, 2025
cant say the same ab her man
https://t.co/LaC2WwCLvF
— Addis Alemayehu (@AddissAlemayehu) February 19, 2025
Naturally, fans were quick to revive these lawsuits in the wake of Minaj’s support for Rocky, with many pointing to Petty’s own legal troubles. “While she sits at home with a rapist,” one X user wrote in response to Minaj’s post, while another made reference to the rapper’s caption by adding “God don’t like rapists btw.” Also taking aim at Minaj’s caption, one onlooker criticized the rapper for “talking about god yet she lays at night with a registered SO.” Elsewhere, one user pointed out how Rocky was acquitted of his crimes, but that fans “can’t say the same about [Minaj’s] man.”
Following ASAP Rocky’s not guilty verdict Rihanna has shared a message on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/GyP7m2uftT
— Hold Up (@HoldUpp_) February 19, 2025
While it was her reaction that induced the most heated hysteria, Minaj wasn’t the only notable name to respond to news of Rocky’s not guilty verdict. Director Spike Lee — whose upcoming film, Highest 2 Lowest stars Rocky — took to social media to offer his “Thanks To The Judge And Jury” for the result, while fellow rapper 50 Cent said he had “bet 500,000 K [that Rocky was] gonna beat it.” For her part, Rihanna wrote on Instagram that “THE GLORY BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD ALONE!,” adding that she was “THANKFUL [and] HUMBLED BY HIS MERCY.”
