'Love and Hip Hop' reality TV star Safaree Samuels gets candid about facing immense challenges following his very-public tumultuous breakup with rapper Nicki Minaj years ago.
- July 10, 2024
AceShowbiz - In a candid appearance on the "We In Miami Podcast", Safaree Samuels opened up about the significant hurdles he faced following his high-profile split from Nicki Minaj.
"I was with Nicki, we broke up. So her fans and certain people wanted it to be like, 'okay, they're not together anymore… f*** him. Let him be nothing. Let him disintegrate. Let him disappear,' " Safaree shared, highlighting the hostility he experienced from the public.
The breakup was further complicated by Nicki Minaj's subsequent relationship with rapper Meek Mill. Safaree revealed, "I had two of the biggest people [Nicki Minaj & Meek Mill] in the world against me. That made everybody be against me. Nobody wanted to be next to me. Nobody wanted to work with me. It just made everything hard. That was a dark time for me."
Despite these challenges, Safaree emphasized his resilience, "10 years later, 10-15 TV shows later… I'm still here. Some people don't like that."
Safaree Samuels and Nicki Minaj's relationship began in the early 2000s in Queens, NY, where they were both part of a rap group named Hoodstars. Safaree played a pivotal role in Nicki's early solo career, serving as her hype man and a key figure in her music and image development. The romantic aspect of their relationship became more evident after they parted ways in 2014.
The breakup did not just involve emotional turmoil but also legal battles. Safaree filed a lawsuit claiming he played a significant role in a majority of Nicki Minaj's albums. However, he eventually dropped the lawsuit, stating, "I dropped everything... I ain't trippin'. I'm doing a lot and I don't want to have to deal with depositions and courts and all of that."
Tensions between Safaree and Nicki were further fueled by Meek Mill. According to The Game's diss track "Pest Control," Meek FaceTimed Nicki while Safaree was with another woman. Safaree responded on Instagram writing, "Honestly, I should thank him." He later explained, "I'm just saying, I just meant like… [Meek Mill] definitely was a big part as to why me and Nicki broke up."
Today, Safaree has moved on and built a successful reality TV career, featuring prominently on VH1's "Love & Hip Hop" franchise. He and his ex-wife Erica Mena co-parent two children: a daughter named Safire and a son named Legend. Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj has established her own family with her husband, Kenneth Petty, and their son.
