Nicki Minaj’s recent Instagram Live session with her husband Kenneth Petty came under heavy fire for its flippant use of a homophobic slur. However, that wasn’t everything that they discussed and engaged in during the event, as they also spoke on their family dynamic with their son. For those unaware, the couple welcomed him in September of 2020 and have kept his name and most of his personal life a secret from fans, only referring to him as “Papa Bear.” During this recent IG Live, the Trinidadian MC revealed that she wanted to name him after incarcerated Jamaican dancehall icon Ninja Man.
“When I was pregnant, all I did was watch Ninja Man all day,” Nicki Minaj explained as Kenneth Petty shook his head at the idea that the name would be a “match.” “I think I told you guys I was going to call the baby Ninja. My husband didn’t really want me to call the baby Ninja, but I thought it was dope, you know. I had asked people around me and they said yes. I don’t see anything wrong with it. You know, Ninja.”
Nicki Minaj Explains Why She Almost Named Papa Bear “Ninja”
Previously, Nicki Minaj had revealed to Vogue last November that she’s a big nickname person, and after shooting down rumors that Papa Bear is named Jacob, she’s hinted at the context behind this moniker and what his actual name could be without outright confirming it. “I’ve always been a nickname person,” she expressed. “I give everyone I love these nicknames, normally. He actually had a couple nicknames. His first nickname while he was in my stomach was ‘Bubba.’ When he came out, it just transformed into ‘Papa Bear.’ I can’t explain it, but when I looked at him, that’s what I thought.”
Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj is as dominant of a force in the music industry as ever, using her power to speak on the biggest happenings in the record realm. For example, she recently threw her hat into a big sales ring recently by promoting Sabrina Carpenter’s new album over Travis Scott’s DAYS BEFORE RODEO re-release, both of which competed for a Billboard 200 No. 1 chart debut. You probably recall that ASTROWORLD beat out Queen for that top-charting spot in 2018. Some grudges last more than we think…
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output.
Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond.
Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C.
His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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