Rapper Nicki Minaj, who is set to appear on this year's staging of Reggae Sumfest taking place in Montego Bay from July 17-23, has been left devastated by the death of her cousin Nicholas, who was killed in Brooklyn, New York City, on Sunday.

The Check It Out rapper - who is currently supporting Britney Spears on tour, put up a picture of Nicholas on her Twitter page and tweeted: "Lived in Brooklyn his whole life. My precious cousin. My baby. Killed last nite. (sic)".

The hip-hop star later added another snap, which was accompanied by the words: "My cousin Nicholas. Also goes by Juse ... Murdered. Last nite. Near his home. Brooklyn, NY. (sic)".

No other details about the murder are yet known.

important to Nicki

Family has always been important to Nicki and she recently revealed she is motivated by making a better life for her mother.

The 26-year-old rapper - who moved from Trinidad to the US at the age of five - admitted living in a three-bedroom home with 15 other people and then seeing her father fall victim to drug and alcohol abuse, made her more determined with her music.

She said: "In Trinidad we didn't have much. Then my parents moved to the States and then they sent for me, and I thought everything was going to be great.

"But my father fell victim to drug and alcohol abuse, so it was an uphill battle for a very, very long time. He was really, really addicted. My mother had to make ends meet the best way she knew how.

"Really, when I talk about my life in records like I'm The Best, I'm just saying, 'Hey, after all of this, here's what I've accomplished.' What motivated me was that I wanted to get my mother out of her situation, so I always wanted to kick aat whatever I did."