On August 11, 2023, Hip Hop enthusiasts worldwide united in celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop, simultaneously all reconnecting to the moment Hip Hop changed their lives. Amid this jubilation, a reminder of a darker side of the culture emerged in the form of a headline – one that transported Jennifer Hough back to September 16, 1994, when she was a 16-year-old girl waiting at a Queens, NY bus stop, where it was not Hip Hop that changed her life forever; it was Kenneth Petty.
Jennifer Hough at 16
A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
'Nicki Minaj's Husband's Rape Accuser Submits Evidence From 1994 Trial' was the headline The Daily Beast blasted out during Hip Hop 50. Jennifer Hough, who is currently suing Nicki Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, for sexual assault and its enduring aftereffects, submitted devastating evidence collected during her 1994 rape investigation to the court. This evidence played a role in Petty's eventual guilty plea to a reduced charge of attempted rape in 1995.
This file submitted by Jennifer Hough's lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, totaled 15 exhibits that included but were not limited to:
Photo of the bite mark on Plaintiff's face caused because of Defendant Petty,
Photo of knife used to rape Plaintiff Hough,
Photos of Defendant Petty's Room where he raped (attempted to rape, according
to Petty) Plaintiff Hough,
Bruises to Plaintiff Hough's side,
Images of Plaintiff's Neck where Petty Choked Her,
Contact Solution, which Plaintiff Hough threw at Petty,
Plaintiff Hough 1994 Rape Kit, Jamaica Hospital Emergency Medicine Record, K: 1994 Police Laboratory Analysis Report Evidencing Petty's Sperm in Plaintiff's
In reviewing the documents submitted to the courts, there seems to be no ambiguity on her part about what happened on September 16, 1994. Jennifer did everything women were told to do if they wanted to be believed - she immediately reported the rape, got a rape kit, cooperated with the police, and identified her rapist.
Jennifer Hough exclusively told The Daily Beast, "I just wanted to show proof that I didn't lie on this man. I did exactly what I was supposed to do. When it happened, I went to the police. I went to the hospital. I had a rape kit done."
Kenneth Petty's Bedroom in 1994
THE LETTER
In what has become a highly publicized moment on her once-popular 'Queen Radio' show, Nicki Minaj told her millions of listeners that Jennifer Hough allegedly wrote a letter to the judge recanting her rape allegations against Kenneth Petty.
Jennifer Hough has always denied writing such a letter; however, The Daily Beast did review a notarized typewritten letter allegedly by Jennifer Hough telling the judge she would like Kenneth Petty's charges dropped. The Daily Beast's summary of the contents of this letter: "While Petty did not rape Hough, he allegedly refused to let her leave his home until she had sex with him—even after she'd said no."
That sounds like rape to me.
The Daily Beast goes into more detail on what the letter says occurred on September 16, 1994. Per the
letter, Jennifer voluntarily went to Kenneth's house, where they made out before an argument that got physical broke out between the two of them. Kenneth wouldn't allow her to leave because she was too upset. Jennifer allegedly wrote, "He asked to make love with me again. I said no." Kenneth told Jennifer if she had sex with him, she could leave. So she complied because she was already late for school and just wanted to go. The visible bruises on her neck were explained away as "hickies" given to her by another boy on the previous day.
In the documents loaded on PACER, I do not see this letter, so I have to base my opinion on what The Daily Beast reported in their story, and in my opinion, that letter describes...RAPE and false imprisonment, which is what Kenneth Petty was charged with. Whoever wrote this letter did a Kelsey Harris of a job. Because if we go with the letter's version of events, an argument got physical, a narrative that explains why Jennifer had bruises and bite marks on her face and body, and then Kenneth told her she could not leave until they had sex...BUELLER!!!
THIS IS RAPE!
If Kenneth Petty claims that letter is what really happened, he still earned his rape charges. This letter does not paint Jennifer Hough as a liar; instead, it is a pitiful attempt to make the rape sound less violent.
Also, does anyone really believe that a 16-year-old Petty told a girl he wanted to "make love?" I don't even believe a 40-something-year-old Petty would use those words, let alone a teen version of himself. But I digress...
Jennifer has always been honest about the lack of support from her foster family and how they wanted her to drop the charges so the threats against the family would stop. She even stood up in court and tried to get the charges dropped. I believe this letter was all part of a plan by Jennifer's family to sweep this incident under the rug.
It must be reiterated that Jennifer Hough still denies typing that letter and that the versions of events in the police report are what actually happened. She also alludes in the article that this letter is holding up settlement talks in her lawsuit.
To read more on what Jennifer Hough had to say and the full reporting done by The Daily Beast, please CLICK HERE.
HIP-HOP MEDIA IS DEAD
Hip Hop in 2023: Nicki Minaj is happily married to a sex offender, Drake is publicly supports a man convicted of shooting a female rapper, and Hip Hop media won't dare report on either.
Jennifer Hough's lawsuit should be a major story within Hip Hop because the minute Nicki Minaj mentioned the case on Queen Radio, it became a Hip Hop story. The media has learned nothing from their mistakes during the Tory Lanez trial.
There is no reason Nicki Minaj should feel comfortable doing NPC videos on TikTok while Jennifer is digging up old photos of her bruised body.
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