Singer Nivea opens up about industry trauma, relationships with Lil Wayne, The Dream
"Some people would have never survived some of the sh*t I did," Nivea said.
Singer Nivea, who rose to fame in the early 2000s, chopped it up with Kandi Burruss recently about the highs and lows of her music career.
The two songbirds also dished about some of the famous men Nivea has dated, specifically rapper Lil Wayne and producer/singer/songwriter The-Dream. In a teaser posted to Instagram, Nivea noted that her conversation on Burress’ On That Note YouTube series could trigger sexual violence and assault victims.
She captioned the post, “I only share to inspire…Each and every one of us are WORTHY, VALUABLE, & CAPABLE of overcoming ANYTHING!!!”
In a similar post shared on her own IG account, Burruss wrote, “I want to see her win so bad. After you hear some of what she’s been through you’re gonna feel the same way.”
During the hour-long interview, Nivea unpacked the industry trauma she had to overcome and her struggles with motherhood. She had children with both Lil Wayne and The-Dream.
“I feel like your testimony or your story—I know it’s cliché, but it really does help somebody else. And I’m a motherf*cking survivor. Some people would have never survived some of the sh*t I did. I’m so proud of myself,” Nivea shared.
After detailing her experience with a shady manager, Nivea explained how Lil Wayne encouraged her to dump her manager and subsequently quit the music industry altogether.
“He said ‘come be with me. I got you,’” Nivea recounted. “We was young, we were young and I think at the time he was one of those guys who wanted to be bigger or a more ‘on top’ person. We were so young.”
She later added, “I got real, real, real, real, real low. I’ll never get that low again, thank you Lord. I got so low because I was depleted. I had nothing for me. I couldn’t inspire. I couldn’t be optimistic anymore, I couldn’t pump myself back up. I had nothing left.”
Nivea claims Weezy promised to “take care” of her financially, and urged her to move out of the house they shared and get an apartment instead.
“I’m just sitting there, like, being a housewife,” said Nivea. “All of a sudden — this is kind of funny — he was like, ‘I ain’t never stay in an apartment before. Let’s get an apartment!’ So we move out the house and get an apartment.”
Later Nivea discovered that Wayne insisted they get an apartment so he could move another woman into the home, namely his now ex-wife, Toya Johnson, the mother of his 22-year-old daughter Reginae Carter.
Following her breakup with Lil Wayne, Nivea went on to marry The-Dream with whom she shares three kids. The songstress and the hip-hop star would reunite after her split with The-Dream, and Nivea became pregnant by Wayne at the same time as Lauren London.
Nivea inevitably bonded with London and Johnson because of their shared experiences with Lil Wayne. They both showed Nivea some love after her interview with Burruss dropped.
“Love you. You are pure magic and strength,” London wrote, with Johnson adding, “Great interview. So proud of you.”
Several Nivea fans also expressed their support for the R&B star, with one person writing: “If they haven’t already, a really smart publisher would be reaching out to Nivea’s people TODAY to offer her a book deal. She’s got a bestseller but, more importantly, she’s got an inspirational story so many young sisters need to hear. She’s really a gem.”
Watch the interview in its entirety via the YouTube clip above.
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