Diddy to Manage Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross

Earlier this week, news broke that Nicki Minaj had fired her manager -- and rapper Waka Flocka Flame's mother, Debra Antney -- after she was forced her to pull out of Rihanna's 'Last Girl on Earth Tour.' Only hours later, unconfirmed rumors began to circulate that Bad Boy CEO, Diddy had plans to take on Minaj as his new client. After all the hearsay, Billboard has confirmed that Diddy has, in fact, signed new management deals with Nicki Minaj, as well as Rick Ross.

First, Billboard dispelled the rumors that Antney had been fired after failing to come up with an international work permit that would allow Minaj to perform overseas on Rihanna's upcoming tour. Antney had reportedly revealed to Billboard more than a month before the tour announcement that her working relationship with Minaj was done. "I'm not gonna sit here and drop a bunch of bombs on her now, even though she really, really disappointed me. Now Nicki did fire me. She did," Antney said.

According to Billboard, a trusted source also confirmed Diddy's decision to co-manage Minaj. After dismissing Antney, Minaj reportedly sought out management from Lady Gaga's manager Troy Carter, but was denied when Gaga objected to the deal. After hearing the news, Diddy and one of his employees, James Cruz, stepped in and agreed to co-manage Nicki Minaj and pull Rick Ross on board as well.

None of the artist's labels – Universal Motown, Interscope Records and Def Jam -- have released comment on the new partnerships.