Nicki Minaj opened up about an abusive relationship in her past and said it left her “so afraid to speak” for fear of being hit.
“When u see a woman in a toxic relationship, rather than laugh & say mean things, try to offer sound advice from your heart & root for her to learn her worth. We’ve all been there. I saw my parents fight & argue non stop & never divorce, so I thought this was normal behavior…” she wrote in the first of a series of tweets on Sunday, September 1.
“I rlly used to think love had to hurt. So I could never look down on anyone else. We are merely human. It’s not easy to leave. Especially in the world of IG where all ppl want to do is post relationship goal pics for clout & attention. A man should make you feel safe, not afraid,” Minaj, 36, continued. “I remember being so afraid to speak cuz I never knew when that person would be in a particular mood and I could maybe say one wrong thing that would get me hit.”
I remember being so afraid to speak cuz I never knew when that person would be in a particular mood and I could maybe say one wrong thing that would get me hit. So the diff you see in me now is that feeling when a woman feels lifted up, safe, appreciated & unconditionally loved.
— Mrs. Petty (@NICKIMINAJ) September 1, 2019
Referencing her current relationship with boyfriend Kenneth Petty, who she plans to wed soon, the rapper added, “So the diff you see in me now is that feeling when a woman feels lifted up, safe, appreciated & unconditionally loved.”
The “Hot Girl Summer” singer was previously with Safaree Samuels for 12 years before their split in 2014 and went on to date Meek Mill and Nas.
She told her 20.5 million followers that in order to find a happy, loving relationship, she had to “learn how to love MYSELF.”
“If you wouldn’t let a man treat your mother, your sister or best friend like that b/c you LOVE them, then you wouldn’t let a man treat YOU like that b/c you love YOU,” she concluded. “This isn’t about judging. We judge too much. Lift them up.”
Minaj also shared guidelines for sorting the good guys from the bad ones, tweeting, “A man who loves you does not: 1. Humiliate you on social media 2. Beat you 3. Cheat on you 4. Call you out of your name/put you down to lower your self esteem due to his own insecurities. 5. Hide his phone, passwords, where abouts, etc.”
The Grammy nominee confirmed her relationship with Petty, 41, last December. The pair had known each other as teenagers and Minaj later defended her boyfriend after fans pointed out that he is a registered sex offender in New York state who was convicted of attempted rape in the first degree in 1995.
“He was 15, she was 16 … in a relationship,” she wrote at the time. “But go awf, Internet. … Y’all can’t run my life. Y’all can’t even run y’all own life. Thank you boo.”
She revealed last month that the couple had filed for a marriage license — for the second time — and plan to wed before the paperwork expires in 90 days and has already changed her Twitter handle to Mrs. Petty.
