Nicki Minaj's Complete Dating History (And What Her Exes Have Said)
This article includes mentions of sexual assault, abortion, and domestic violence.
Nicki Minaj has paved her way as a legend in the music industry — breaking down barriers in a male-dominated field with the odds stacked against her. The Trinidadian-born rapper has a long list of accolades to her name, including being the longest-charting female rapper of all time, a title previously held by Missy Elliot. She's a force to be reckoned with and has been ever since Lil Wayne took her under his wing and helped launch her career.
However, Minaj's tough skin isn't just a result of the challenges she's overcome in the rap industry. The "Barbie Dreams" artist grew up in a broken home riddled with alcohol and abuse, and the struggles of her early years inspired her to become successful. "When I first came to America I would go in my room and kneel down at the foot of my bed and pray that god would make me rich so that I could take care of my mother," she told Rolling Stone.
After making her dreams a reality, Minaj has settled down with longtime significant other Kenneth Petty. The pair welcomed their son in 2020, whom they publicly refer to as "Papa Bear." The "Super Bass" singer has had many former suitors knocking on the doors of her Barbie kingdom. We're breaking down Nicki Minaj's complete dating history (and what her exes have said) leading up to her marriage to Kenneth Petty, a convicted sex offender.
Nicki Minaj's tumultuous relationship with Safaree Samuels
Nicki Minaj dated Safaree Samuels for over a decade. They both joined the Hood$tars rap group in the early 2000s, and their relationship was tainted with police reports and public feuds.
News first broke that there was trouble in the duo's relationship in 2011 after TMZ obtained a police report following an altercation between Minaj and a man cops supposedly identified as Samuels. An argument allegedly involved Samuels striking the rapper with a suitcase across her chin and lower lip. Minaj decided not to press charges. The two continued seeing each other, but their problems were far from over.
The pair split up in 2014 amid reports of jealousy due to Minaj's career, one that Samuels claimed he had a hand in molding. Minaj released the track "Bed of Lies," which many speculated was about her toxic relationship with Samuels. The rapper sued Minaj over music credit, claiming she owed him money for years of helping her with her music. Samuels ultimately dropped the suit, but the pair continued to beef through their music and on Twitter years after their breakup. Samuels claimed Minaj was unfaithful to him with rapper Meek Mill, and the "Pinkprint" rapper claimed her ex used her for her fame and money. It's a case of he said, she said. Samuels tweeted that the rapper brandished a knife and stabbed him in 2014. Though this has never been confirmed, TMZ has allegedly seen a video related to the incident.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Nicki Minaj's public beef with Meek Mill
Against the turmoil with her longtime beau Safaree Samuels, Nicki Minaj found love again with rapper Meek Mill. Speculation of romance between the two surfaced in 2010 when Mill professed his love for the rapper via Twitter. In since-deleted posts, he used the hashtag #mygoalis to say he wanted to "get [Nicki Minaj before] somebody else do" and that he wanted to "get [Nicki Minaj] knocked up." Other tweets similarly vascillated between admiration and vulgarity.
The two started collaborating in 2013 and remained close following the "Anaconda" rapper's split with Samuels and Mill's release from jail in late 2014. Though they denied dating rumors for nearly a year, Mill went Facebook-official with his love in 2015, captioning a photo of Minaj, "Find a woman that you think is strong enough 2 help you takeover the world wit you!"
Their relationship turned sour in 2016 when Minaj wrote a telling Instagram caption: "Thank God I dodged the bullet. I'm so over u. Baby good lookin out." Minaj confirmed their split in 2017 with a tweet, but the beef was far from over. In January 2020, a TMZ video surfaced of Mill, Minaj, and her husband Kenneth Petty getting into an altercation after ending up at the same store in West Hollywood. A month later, Minaj seemingly accused her ex via Twitter of being physically abusive, and Mill tweeted an allegation that Minaj helped her brother escape a rape conviction.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
She had a New York connection with rapper Nas
After Nicki Minaj's nasty split with Meek Mill, she moved on to yet another rapper — Nas. The two first got intimate when Nas starred in Minaj's music video for her track "Right By My Side" in 2012, in which the rap duo shared a steamy kiss. In 2017 they sparked dating rumors yet again when the Barbie queen shared an Instagram photo of the artists on a romantic date at Nas' restaurant. "Only KINGS recognize QUEENS. [Sweet Chick] has the best food. congrats @nas," the rapper captioned the post.
The "Bang Bang" artist spoke highly of the rapper on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," saying, "He's so dope. ... We're both from Queens. And he is the king of Queens, and I'd like to think I'm the queen of Queens." On the heels of her 2017 split with Mill, Minaj told DeGeneres she didn't want anything serious at the time. "I'm just chillin' right now. I'm celibate. I wanted to go a year without dating any man. I hate men," she revealed, admitting, "I might make an exception to the rule for [Nas], 'cause he's so dope."
After seven months of seeing each other, their relationship came to an end, as living in different zip codes reportedly put a strain on the rap duo. The two went their separate ways on good terms, without battling it out on Twitter in typical Barbz fashion.
Did Nicki Minaj date Drake?
Drake and Nicki Minaj have quite the history together surrounding their respective come-ups in the rap industry. Naturally, fans started to question if there was something more to the rap duo's relationship — and Drake's song lyrics didn't do anything to quell the rumors. On his 2010 track "Miss Me," the rapper sings, "I love Nicki Minaj/ I told her I'd admit it/ I hope one day we get married just to say we f***ing did it." The pair fueled speculation for years with their undeniable on-stage chemistry. Drake even called Minaj "Mrs. Aubrey Drake Graham" via Twitter in 2010, but fans have chalked this up to harmless flirting.
The "Anaconda" artist was caught in the middle of a feud between her then-boyfriend Meek Mill and Champagne Papi in 2015 after Mill suggested Drake wasn't writing his own lyrics. The rapper opened up about the drama with Apple Music 1's Zane Lowe. "It was one of the hardest parts of my career to date. Ever. Because at the time, I did love both of them. ... I felt so imprisoned in that moment."
After Mill and Drake had one of the most infamous diss-track battles in rap history, they put their beef to rest by joining forces and releasing the track "Going Bad" together in 2018. Minaj was able to put the past behind her, too, and she and Drake remain close friends. The two reunited in 2022 for a special Young Money reunion concert in Toronto alongside their former mentor Lil Wayne.
Nicki Minaj's alleged romance with Quavo
Nicki Minaj's history with Atlanta rapper Quavo is complicated. The two appeared on his 2017 Migos track "MotorSport" together, along with Cardi B. The "Bed Of Lies" artist revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe that she was receptive to the idea of collaborating with the "Bodak Yellow" star at Quavo's request, although there were some scheduling conflicts that didn't allow Cardi and Nicki to film their music video scenes on the same day. Minaj told Lowe that she was upset by an interview Cardi B did shortly after the track debuted (most likely with Capital Xtra), and Minaj indicated that she felt slighted by Quavo for not defending her when fans attacked her for beefing with Cardi. Quavo reportedly responded by texting her, "I would go on Twitter and back you up if you were my girl."
The two seemed to get past their differences after the song's release, but it wasn't for long. She took a shot at the "Stir Fry" rapper in her 2018 diss track "Barbie Dreams." In the song, Minaj references Quavo's ex, saying, "Somebody go and make sure Karrueche okay though/ I heard she think I'm tryna give the coochie to Quavo." After the song dropped she tweeted, "I only mentioned people in #BarbieDreams that I f*** wit. This isn't a diss."
Quavo dropped his own track, "Huncho Dreams," in response to Minaj's shade. The rapper alluded to sleeping with her, rapping, "She said I hurt her feelings 52 times/ Call up queen (Nicki)/ The queen can't flex on a young bull/ Made her scream."
She opened up about having an abortion
Nicki Minaj got vulnerable about experiencing an unplanned pregnancy with her ex Aaron when she was just a teenager. On her track "All Things Go," the rapper referenced her past, sharing, "My child with Aaron, would've have been 16, any minute." In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, she got candid about her decision to terminate her pregnancy. "I was a teenager. It was the hardest thing I'd ever gone through," she said, adding, "It'd be contradictory if I said I wasn't pro-choice. I wasn't ready. I didn't have anything to offer a child."
Minaj admitted that the decision to not have a child has bothered her for her entire life. While "All Things Go" may be the track that turned heads, it isn't the first time the star has been vocal about her abortion. In her track "Autobiography" she raps, "Please, baby, forgive me, mommy was young/ Mommy was too busy, tryin' to have fun/ Now I don't pat myself on the back, for sending you back/ 'Cause God knows, I was better than that... Listened to people who told me I wasn't ready for you/ But how the f*** would they know what I was ready to do?"
The rapper also opened up about being unfaithful to her boyfriend in high school. She told All Urban Central that she cheated on him (perhaps Aaron, who was reportedly older than her) with a girl while she attended night school.
Nicki Minaj's rumored romances
While the Barbie queen neither confirms nor denies them, Nicki Minaj has been the subject of plenty of rumored romances throughout her career. In 2018, fans speculated she was dating Lewis Hamilton, a British professional race car driver. The "Super Bass" artist posted an Instagram photo of her and Hamilton riding through the dunes of Dubai together, writing, "Caribbean tingz what I on. Me & Lewis gettin paper like what ink dry on." The pair was spotted leaving a hotel together, but their romance eventually fizzled out.
The "Ganja Burn" artist was also linked to Future that same year, after the Atlanta rapper possibly sent her some expensive presents. Minaj shared a video of herself opening Chanel gift boxes on her Instagram with the caption, "Thank you, you know the way to a Barbie's [heart.]" Though this could have just been a gift from the company, fans suspected the Chanel purse was from Future after similar boxes were spotted on his Instagram.
Minaj also joked about a potential relationship with rapper Eminem — whom she featured on her track "Roman's Revenge" in 2010. The two have continued to flirt with each other, with Eminem even asking the crowd whether or not he should date her during his show in 2018. While nothing was ever serious between the rappers, they gave fans plenty of reasons to speculate. "Em we need you on the #Queen album. That's where our 1st date will be; at the studio while I gaze into ur beautiful eyes as u write ur verse," Minaj tweeted on the same day.
Nicki Minaj married a registered sex offender
Nicki Minaj's relationship with Kenneth Petty generated criticism from tabloids. The pair tied the knot in 2019 after going public with their relationship a year prior. Minaj has publicly defended Petty as his criminal history came back to haunt his life in the spotlight. Per USA Today, Petty spent years behind bars after he was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1995 and later was imprisoned for committing first-degree manslaughter in 2006. The "Starships" rapper alluded to the rape case on Instagram, responding to comments accompanying a photo of herself with Petty: "...he was 15, she was 16 ... in a relationship. But go awf, Internet. y'all can't run my life. Y'all can't even run y'all own life," Minaj wrote.
The pair go way back, however, having dated when they were just teenagers. A source revealed to Us Weekly that the duo reconnected after the rapper was back in her hometown in Queens doing charity work. Settling down has always been something Minaj has wanted to do, and she even admitted to Complex that she had a strict timeline for her future. "If I'm done with my fifth album and I don't have a child by then, no matter how much money I have, I would be disappointed, as a woman, because I feel like I was put here to be a mother," she said in 2014. Minaj is on track with her deadline, welcoming her son in fall 2020 well before her fifth album (yet to be released). In 2022, Petty failed to register as a sex offender, so he was sentenced to one year of home detention and three years of probation, per CBS Los Angeles.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).