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Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj is facing criticism after going public with her new ex-convict boyfriend.

The Anaconda hitmaker posted a picture of herself and Kenny Petty from her 36th birthday in Turks and Caicos on Instagram over the weekend.

Wrapping her leg around her new man, Nicki captioned the shot: "Did you ever make it out of that town where nothing ever happened? It's no secret that the both of us... are running out of time."

The post was not received well by the rap star's legion of fans, who made a point of making Petty's criminal past clear.

According to the NYPD Sex Offender Unit database, Petty was convicted in 1995 for attempted rape in the first degree for an incident that occurred in 1994. He was sentenced to 18 to 54 months in prison.

"So Nicki Minaj continues to promote her 'relationship' with the convicted CHILD RAPIST Kenneth 'Zoo' Petty... when is she ever gonna learn...?" one follower wrote, while another added: "She loves and supports 3 pedophiles now!! She's a lost cause!," referencing her brother Jelani Maraj, who was convicted of predatory sexual assault on a child younger than 13 years old last year, and jailed fellow rapper Tekashi69, who pleaded guilty to filming a 13-year-old girl perform a sex act.

According to reports, Petty is a registered sex offender in New York, while he also reportedly pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of a man in 2006.

He served seven years of a 10-year prison sentence and completed his supervised release earlier this year, reports The Blast.

Nicki has since disabled the comments on her picture.

It's not the first time her dating life has sparked controversy - she previously romanced fellow rapper Meek Mill, who spent five months in prison earlier this year for a probation violation linked to a 2008 drug and gun bust.