In a rare, intimate interview for Vogue 's December issue cover storyNicki Minaj opens up about her marriage to her high school flame, Kenneth Pettyand how they tackled their journey into parenthood. Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj, married Petty in Octoberand welcomed their first child nearly a year later.

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They publicly refer to their 3-year-old son as Papa Bear, never revealing his real name. Minaj has often defended her husband and marriage against criticism since it was discovered that Petty is a registered sex offender. Petty's sex offender registration is a result of a incident where a year-old girl reported that Petty raped her at knifepoint. Petty, who was minanj 16 at the time, was charged with first-degree rape.

Nicki Minaj Opens Up About Her Relationship With Husband Kenneth Petty

He initially denied dating accusations, before pleading guilty to attempted rape. He served more than four years in prison and was ordered to register as a sex offender. Although she doesn't address his "checkered past," Minaj tells Vogue that Petty's indifference to "the hard, dazzling shell" of her fame drew her to him nicki they reunited. We're silly. And we're always reminiscing about some old story. And that, combined with pregnancy, would probably have made me crazy. Although Minaj has never shied away from sharing photos or videos of her son with her legion of fans -- known as Barbz -- the rapper has rarely provided insight into her mindset during her pregnancy.

Minaj admits that she initially thought of her marriage and motherhood as who from her long-established brand.

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She recalls hookup in des moines ia people that when she nicki a mother, who would be entirely focused on their care, believing that she could solely focus on being a mother rather than being consumed with her rapping career. The rapper admits that the experience was the most exhausted she's ever been, including her three world tours. That exhaustion affected her marriage, with Minaj sharing that "things got testy" between her and Petty. But there's no such thing as confidence in parenthood," she notes.

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There's a level of anxiety, and you think it's going to go away, dating in fact it gets scarier. So often you think: I don't know how to do source It was after a conversation with another woman about mom guilt that Minaj realized that trying to stay away from "the only thing I know how to freaking do" was fruitless.

So she returned to make music, which leads to the imminent release of her upcoming fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2. But then you stop and realize, there's nothing to run around for.

That's the thing that's changed in me. It's not that I've taken these amazing steps. It's just about finally being happy with who you are as opposed to where you are.

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Minaj's Vogue issue hits newsstands on Minanj. By Mekishana Pierre. By clicking "Sign Up", you confirm that you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. Sign up.