Nicki Minaj’s precious son, Papa Bear, recently celebrated his fourth birthday.

On Oct. 1, the Grammy-nominated rapper and proud mom took to Instagram to show love to the sweet tot, sharing a carousel of rare footage of the little one spending quality time with his father, Kenneth Petty.

The heartwarming slideshow captured Papa Bear playing in the backyard with his dad and sitting behind a car steering wheel as he pretended to drive. Tucked toward the end of the gushy post, Petty could be seen holding the cutie patootie fresh out of the delivery room. Minaj reportedly gave birth to her baby boy on Sept. 30 in Los Angeles, a source previously confirmed to PEOPLE.

“Dear #PapaBear, Happy 4th birthday, buddy,” Minaj penned in the caption of the sweet post. “You’ve made mama & daddy so happy. Since you were in mama’s tummy, you gave me a whole new meaning to life. Hope.”

The “Pink Friday” rapper added, “May God watch over you always & guide your path. No weapon formed against you will prosper. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

Source: James Devaney / Getty

On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in December 2023, Minaj gushed about Papa Bear’s surprising personality traits. The Queens native said she was shocked to discover that her son was “so strong” and a little bossy at times.

“He’s so strong! I never imagined that a baby could be strong. If he wants to push me, my body will move,” the rapper recalled. “He runs everything. And he’s been watching that movie, the baby boss movie. So he acts like that — he channels that,” she added, referencing the animated film The Boss Baby.

Parenthood has presented unique challenges for the music icon, as she seeks to strike a balance between her responsibilities as a mother and her demanding career.

“I don’t know how y’all did it,” the star told Colbert during her appearance, giving a shoutout to moms and dads around the world who hold down their parenting duties effortlessly.

“God bless y’all, because I didn’t understand how in-depth this thing was. It never stops. It’s every day,” she added.

Despite the challenges of motherhood, it has positively transformed Minaj. During a February 2022 appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, the hip-hop icon shared that she has become “more of a forgiving person” since embracing motherhood.

“I think motherhood has made me see more good in people, more good in the universe,” the star shared.

“When I look at my son, I’m reminded that I am so blessed. 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.’”

Happy birthday, Papa Bear!