Nicki Minaj Prayed Her Way Through An Unpleasant Childhood

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On February 12, Nicki Minaj suffered a personal loss. As reported by news outlets, Minaj's father was hit by a car as he walked on the Mineola, New York road. The driver involved in the crash reportedly left the scene and was at large until he turned himself in.

However, since the untimely death gained media attention, the "Bang Bang" rapper is yet to release a public statement about her father's loss.

She has, however, opened up about her relationship with her father in the past.

Born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982, Minaj relocated from Trinidad, to New York with her family at age five.

She opened up about her youth and described it as a harrowing experience as she shared that her father battled with substance abuse and would often hit her mother, Carol Maraj. 

In a 2010 interview with Rolling Stone, the rapper revealed that when she first came to America as a little girl; she would go into her room and pray to God to make her rich, so she could take good care of her mother.

She continued that as a child, she felt if she cared for her mother, she would be able to leave her father as he was the family’s pain. She added that her father was not wanted around the house.

She said, "I always felt like being rich would cure everything, and that was always what drove me."

Fortunately, no one was harmed in Minaj's family, but the possibility left the rapper on edge in her teenage years. She told The Sun that she feared her father would kill her mother one day.

In the same interview with the publication, Minaj shared that the violence came to an end when her brother got old enough to challenge their dad. In 2012, she told "ABC News" that she had moved on and forgiven her father for his past mistakes.

Over the next years, she showed this forgiveness when they shared a warm embrace at an event that they attended together. The event was one of their last public appearances before his death. 

On Wednesday, a 70-year-old man Charles Polevich was arrested for the death of Minaj's father.

At the time of the incident, Polevich reportedly stopped long enough to ask the injured man if he was injured before driving off. Since his arrest, Polevich has been charged with leaving the crash incident scene and tampering with evidence (the car involved in the crash.)

Polevich was, however, granted bail following a conviction in Nassau County court. The court ordered the suspension of his driver's license and passport and was told not leave the state.

At a news conference,  Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said that Polevich was aware of his actions.