Last year, Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty were claimed to be gang members by Petty’s rape accuser, Jennifer Hough. According to All Hip Hop, Minaj denied the accusations to Judge Eric Vitaliano.
“I was quickly surrounded by my fans, particularly in this instance because my pink Rolls Royce was in the direct sightline of apartment buildings across the street from where I had stopped,” Minaj said. “While my husband and I recognized a few friends and acquaintances from the neighborhood that night, including Rico Danna, an artist whom I intend to sign to my label, none of them belong to any gang. Further, we did not plan to meet anyone in advance because we had not planned to stop there. Once I came out of the car, the news traveled quickly, and people just showed up.”
Minaj would add, “Neither I, my husband, nor anyone I knew made any “gang” signs that night. I did not mention [Hough] or this case that night. Nor did I hear anyone, including my husband, mention [Hough] or this case that night.”
Kenneth Petty and Nicki Minaj are currently battling a $20 million lawsuit. In a November court date, attorney Tyrone Blackburn, representing Jennifer Hough, presented the judge with a video, stating the two are affiliated with the Makk Balla Brims Blood gang of Queens, New York.
“[Kenneth] Petty and Maraj were both in this district, in Jamaica, Queens, New York. As seen on an Instagram live video currently up on Maraj’s Instagram page, both Maraj and Petty were seen associating with members of the Makk Ballers set of the Bloods Gang. Petty and Maraj are both members of this gang,” Blackburn said.
According to AllHipHop, the faction has been labeled the most dangerous criminal organization in New York, very organized and heavily involved in drugs, guns, and rap.
Blackburn added, “Shortly after Petty and Maraj are spotted with their gangster colleagues, a member of the gang posted a death threat to Ms. Hough on Twitter, stating: ‘Jennifer if you see this, the Makks are coming to get you.’”
Hough states Petty and Minaj recently offered her $500,000 to recant her story of being raped in 1994. PEtty accepted a plea deal to the charge in 1995 and spent four years in prison.
In September, PEOPLE states the 43-year-old pleaded guilty during a virtual hearing on Thursday with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and now faces a max of 10 years in prison with a lifetime of supervised release.
According to PEOPLE, the sentencing will be on Jan. 24, 2022.