Nicki Minaj’s retirement caught everyone off guard, including her team and her fans.

Sources close to the Queen rapper tell TMZ that the announcement came out of nowhere and was especially surprising based on Nicki’s recent actions.

She has been busy in the studio working on new music in recent weeks and made plans to record with several artists in the last few days. She already has several songs completed and even has studio time booked until next month.

On Thursday, Nicki announced that she was retiring and planned to start a family. “I’ve decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now,” she wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, ❌ in the box- cuz ain’t nobody checkin me. ✅ Love you for LIFE 😘♥️🦄.”

So what sparked her decision to retire? Nicki has apparently grown tired with internet trolls who’ve been harassing her, and finally reached a breaking point. TMZ claims that she was pushed over the edge by the constant questioning over her hip-hop legacy and her relationship with her fiancé, Kenneth Petty.

But despite her sudden decision, Nicki may not be hanging up the mic just yet. Those close to her believe she’s just taking a much-needed break from the haters and simply needs some time to reevaluate.

Her fans were the most shaken up by the announcement, but Nicki tried to comfort them. She apologized for catching them off guard and told them that she would continue the discussion on an upcoming episode of Queen Radio.

“I’m still right here. Still madly in love with you guys & you know that,” she tweeted. “In hindsight, this should’ve been a Queen Radio discussion & it will be. I promise u guys will be happy. No guests, just us talking about everything. The tweet was abrupt & insensitive, I apologize babe.”