New Details About Kelis And Nas Physical Abuse Claims: 'I Had Bruises All Over My Body'

You never expect someone close to you to find themselves in an abusive relationship. But even more shocking is when celebrities reveal that they too have suffered physical and/or emotional violence at the hands of their partner.

In an exclusive interview with Hollywood Unlocked, Singer and songwriter Kelis recently broke her silence on her marriage with Nas, revealing that he mentally and physically abused her. Though it’s certainly not easy, by coming forward with these new details about the Kelis and Nas physical abuse in their marriage, perhaps she can give other women the courage to speak up.

Here’s what we know about Kelis’ accusations.

1. She was pregnant with their child when the abuse started.

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Kelis alleges that the abuse began when she was pregnant with their son, Knight, who is now 8.

“There was a lot of mental and physical abuse. I probably would have stayed longer had I not been pregnant [with Knight] because I really did love him and because we were married. We weren't dating, we were married. Like, this was my person,” Kelis said.

2. Nas had a drinking problem.

The singer says Nas’ drinking began to be an issue in their marriage and started taking a toll on their relationship. Of his habit, Kelis claims there were “intense highs and lows,” ending with fighting and physical altercations.

“An intense high would be when money was rolling in. We were drinking a lot, getting high a lot. So when that comes down, it was bad. An intense low? We had a lot. It was really dark. A lot of drinking. A lot of mental and physical abuse, and it got to the point where if I wasn’t pregnant, I might have stayed with him,” she stated.

3. He had no memory of the abuse.

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When the couple would fight, with Kelis fighting back in self-defense, Nas would have no memory of it. This may have been due to the drugs and alcohol, or denial, but whatever the reason, Nas would wake up with no recollection of the events that took place the night before.

“His memory is definitely faulty. I’ve waited 9 years to say anything. I have never talked about this man. The amount of airing out that I could do and don’t do is what our kids will find out,” Kelis stated.

4. Nas’ ex-girlfriend has also made accusations against him.

This is not the first time Nas has been accused of abuse. His ex-fianceé, Carmen Bryan, who is also the mother of his daughter, Destiny, revealed in her 2006 book, It’s No Secret, that he had physically abused her.

Detailing the morning after she came home and Nas noticed she had a hickey on her neck, Bryan said, “The next thing I knew I was being hit in the face with a closed fist. The impact of the blow was so fierce that I saw stars.”

5. Photos of Rihanna’s abuse convinced Kelis to leave.

It’s never easy to accept that you are in an abusive situation like this. It took the photos of Rihanna’s attack at the hands of Chris Brown in 2009 to convince her she needed to get out.

“When the Rihanna and Chris Brown pictures came out, I thought about coming out because I also had bruises all over my body. But I didn’t say anything because I’m private. But seeing her the way she looked and then looking at myself. I felt embarrassed. I was pregnant and it was a mess and I felt like I wasn’t going to bring a child into this,” she said.

6. The two are now involved in a custody battle.

While Kelis and Nas divorced in 2010, recently there has been a lot of press regarding their custody battle over their eight-year-old son. Nas claims Kelis violated the terms of their custody agreement when she kept him over Passover weekend.

Of Nas’ co-parenting skills, she claimed he only “shows up when there’s a photo opp. A parent isn’t about showing up when you feel like it. You can’t not show up for months and then show up and try to make up your own [visitation] schedule.”

Despite their custody battle, it’s the catalyst that ultimately convinced her to come forward about the abuse.

Kelis said, “I'm really private; I don't like people in my business. I felt like, 'This is my partner; I chose this. We're gonna do this. We're gonna make it work.' I stayed for years after that, and you keep it moving. Like I said, I'm not frail, I'm not scared, I'm not weak.”

7. Since the split, Kelis has remarried, had a second child, and become a chef.

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She has launched her own successful brand of cooking sauces called Bounty & Full, married real estate agent Mike Mora in 2014, and gave birth to her second child, Shepherd, in late 2015.