Nicki Minaj Shares Rare Snaps of Her Son as She Celebrates His 4th Birthday: 'Gave Me a Whole New Meaning to Life'

The rapper and husband Kenneth “Zoo” Petty welcomed their son, nicknamed Papa Bear, in September 2020

Nicki Minaj is celebrating her son as he turns 4 years old.

On Tuesday, Oct. 1, the "Super Freaky Girl" rapper, 41, shared her love for her son, nicknamed Papa Bear, as she celebrated his fourth birthday on Instagram. The proud mom, who shares her son with husband Kenneth “Zoo” Petty, posted a series of silly videos and cute pictures from throughout his life, leaving a sweet message for her little one in the caption.

"Dear #PapaBear, Happy 4th birthday, buddy," she began. "You’ve made mama & daddy so happy. Since you were in mama’s tummy, you gave me a whole new meaning to life. Hope."

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Related: Nicki Minaj's Son: Everything to Know

In the first photo, the little boy walks out of an elevator holding hands with his dad, as he continuously turns to look at his mom behind the camera. Another sweet video shows the toddler "driving" a car while it's parked.

The post also includes a few throwbacks of Papa Bear as a baby. In one picture, the star's son is held up by Zoo, and in another, he babbles and giggles while Minaj holds him.

To close out the carousel, Minaj shared a rare photo of the family of three all dolled up in matching black outfits.

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Since becoming a mom, Minaj says she's "more of a forgiving person."

"I think motherhood has made me see more good in people, more good in the universe," she said during a February 2022 appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

"When I look at my son, I'm reminded that I am so blessed," she continued. "I realized, for so many women, this is their dream. Their dream is to have a child and not everybody gets that blessing. So when you have a little baby, you are reminded every day like, 'Oh my God. Thank you God for this little gift.' "

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