Nicki Minaj Visits Brother In Jail In Support Of Her Mother

BYAron A.8.6K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Nicki Minaj attends Marc Jacobs SS18 fashion show during New York Fashion Week at Park Avenue Armory on September 13, 2017 in New York City.

This is the first time she's seen her brother since the verdict.

News broke last week that Nicki Minaj's brother, Jelani Maraj, was officially convicted in the child rape case. When the trial initially started, it was reported that she planned to stand behind her brother throughout it all but she was never vocal about her support publicly. As you could probably imagine, it was devastating for Nicki to find out that her brother was behind the heinous crime. It's now being reported that she hasn't had a close relationship with her brother since he was charged. 

Nicki Minaj reportedly went to see her brother behind bars for the first time since the conviction, according to TMZ. They report that she took her mother, Carol, to the Nassau County Jail and neither Nicki or her mother have seen Jelani since the conviction. Along with that, they say the only reason Nicki went to see her brother in the first place was solely because her mother wanted her to go. 

The trial surrounding Jelani Maraj's charges stemmed for over a month and he's now waiting on the sentencing. The sentencing is set to take place on December 14th where he's reportedly facing 25 to life for his actions. Nicki's brother was initally arrested and charged in December of 2015 and was reportedly bailed out by Nicki Minaj shortly after. Despite the evidence, he maintained his innocence throughout the trial and at one point was reported to saying the charges were part of an extortion plot from his ex-wife. However the amount of evidence surrounding it pointed the finger at Maraj whose semen was found on the victim's pants despite the fact his lawyer said he could disprove the DNA Evidence.

Nicki has yet to comment publicly on the trial and maintained her silence throughout it all.

Aside from the guilty verdict, Nicki's been focused on her professional career. Last night, she "broke the internet" with her recent cover for Paper Magazine. In addition to that, she and Jesse Williams are the face of H&M's holiday campaign. And she's steadily working on  music on the way. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.