Grammy-nominated artist Nicki Minaj sent fans into a tailspin Thursday after she announced that she would be retiring.
Minaj, 36, claimed on her Twitter account she was planning to retire in order to start a family, all amid the backdrop of fan speculation Minaj is pregnant.
"I’ve decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now," Minaj wrote. "To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, in the box- cuz ain’t nobody checkin me. Love you for LIFE."
The rapper confirmed earlier this summer on her Beats1 radio show, "Queen Radio," that she got a marriage license with boyfriend Kenneth Petty. Fans then began to speculate that Minaj might be pregnant after the rapper tweeted in June she was not drinking alcohol during a segment on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" where Minaj and Fallon went to Red Lobster.
The retirement news was met with disbelief and despair from Minaj's fans, who call themselves the Barbz.
Minaj, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj, is a Trinidadian-born American who has produced four studio albums in the last decade. The female rapper has been nominated for 10 Grammy awards since 2010, including a nomination for Best Rap Album for Pink Friday in 2011.
The debut album featured five Top 40 singles: "Your Love," "Check It Out," "Right Thru Me," "Moment 4 Life," and "Fly," according to the Recording Academy.
Minaj was featured in Megan Thee Stallion's "Hot Girl Summer" music video, released Tuesday, a song that won Best Power Anthem at the MTV Video Music Awards last month.
A representative for Minaj was not immediately available to respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
