Nicki Minaj defends sex offender boyfriend

American rapper Nicki Minaj on Tuesday defended her relationship with convicted sex offender Kenneth Petty after fans criticised her.

The 36-year-old came under fire from fans after posting a picture of herself and Mr Petty on Instagram to mark her 36th birthday.

In a reply to an Instagram post by American pop culture curator The Shade Room, Ms. Minaj defended Petty.

“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. Thank you boo,” Minaj wrote.

Petty was convicted of first degree attempted rape in 1995.

He was sentenced to 18 to 54 months in prison, but it is unclear how much time he actually served.

Minaj’s brother Jelani Maraj was convicted of rape in 2017 after a court found him guilty of raping his stepdaughter.