Nicki Minaj has shown a softer side of her personality by sharing a number of intimate moments with her son Papa Bear in celebration of his 4th birthday.

Uploading a number of pictures and videos to Instagram on Monday (September 30) to mark the occasion, the Young Money rapper and her husband Kenneth Petty can be seen enjoying some precious family time with their only son.

She captioned the sweet post: “Dear #PapaBear, Happy 4th birthday, buddy. You’ve made mama & daddy so happy. Since you were in mama’s tummy, you gave me a whole new meaning to life. Hope.

“May God watch over you always & guide your path. No weapon formed against you will prosper. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.”

Nicki Minaj has only sparingly shared images and details of Papa Bear (including his real name) since his birth in September 2020, preferring to keep her family life private.

However, the child did join his mom during her Pink Friday 2 Tour stop in New York City earlier this year.

In a clip that made the social media rounds, the little boy could be seen dancing in the crowd as his rap star mother’s 2010 hit “Roman’s Revenge” was heard playing in the background.

Nicki also cited her son as the reason why she canceled a performance in Romania after protests were planned in the country’s capital city of Bucharest.

She said: “As a mom, I have to make sure I’m making sound decisions for me to make it home to my son and for my team to make it home to their families. To not heed the advice of security at this time is simply not what I think I should be doing. I love you and thank you for your understanding and support.”

Nicki Minaj has been open about the fact that she does not want her son to follow in her footsteps and enter the rap game.

“When I look at my son, sometimes when I’m stressing about something, I look at my son and I realize, ‘What are you mad at? Look at what God blessed you with,” she said on the DJ Buck & Friends podcast in 2022.

“This is the ultimate blessing of the universe. There’s no greater blessing. There’s none. You can’t think of one greater blessing that the universe gives us as human beings.”

She added: “So I will just say that it’s been a great experience. I’m learning a lot, I’m laughing a lot. He’s a show off, but I’m not letting him rap. I’m not letting him do nothing about no music.”