Toxic Relationships: 3 Tips to Overcoming From Kelis and Nas

NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 10: Nas, Kelis, and Executive Vice President and General Manager of Nickelodeon Digital Television Tom Ascheim attend the N’s “Miracle’s Boys” premiere party at Cain on February 10, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Kent/Getty Images for Nickelodeon)

Kelis made headlines when she spoke her truth for the first time via an interview with Hollywood Unlocked’s Jason Lee. During the hour-plus long conversation, she detailed the innermost parts of her five-year marriage to rapper Nas, including physical and mental abuse. While she maintained that she physically fought back, Kelis also made sure to mention that her former spouse would be beyond the rational limit of drunk and would always initiate the fights. This information shocked the Black community, who have long heralded Nas as a stand up cultural figure.

Since their 2010 split, Kelis has continued to do well for herself. She took advantage of her degree from Le Cordon Bleu culinary school and wrote a cookbook, and also created a tasty line of sauces. The artist has remarried, had another little one, and is enjoying the life she created for herself. She also continues to tour and create music and has established herself as a health and wellness aficionado.

Possibly one of the more painful parts of the Hollywood Unlocked interview was the revelation that the ex-couple are in the midst of a bitter custody battle. Kelis feels that the incorporation of lawyers is infuriating and is an act of pure narcissism on Nas’s part. According to her, he hasn’t been present for the majority of their 8-year-old son’s life and is controlling when he does decide to step in.

But the singer is not backing down, regardless of the circumstances; she is standing up for women everywhere by deciding to engage in this battle and be vocal about it.

Kelis knows that there are other women in the world who are dealing with abusive ex-partners/fathers of their children. Due to this, she wants to start a fund that helps women handle the costs of legal action. In addition to this initiative, we’d like to help as well by sharing some of the tips we gleaned from the situation. If Kelis can make it out, so can you.

1. Fight back! Kelis made it known that she is not lying down and taking any more of Nas’ mess. She was silent for almost a decade, but she