According to a recent response from the rapper herself on Instagram, Nicki Minaj and Eminem are dating — but don't feel out of the loop if you had no idea these two were even possibly a thing. A comment Nicki Minaj recently made on Instagram has fans thinking she and Eminem are officially a couple. Of course, she may have just been joking. But it's hard to tell someone's tone from an online comment, which means that plenty of fans think this was Minaj's way of confirming her relationship status.
Minaj shared an Instagram post to promote YG's song "Big Bank," which features her, as well as Big Sean and 2 Chainz. The post isn't exactly about her relationship status, though Minaj does mention Eminem in the caption, writing, "#BIGBANK OUT NOW!!!!!! @yg @2chainz @bigsean 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Told’em I met Slim Shady. Bagged a EM!!! 🤑💵💸." She also raps that lyric in the video she posted.
That caption was enough to inspire a fan to comment on the post, "You dating Eminem???," as Cosmopolitan UK noted. Minaj actually responded to the question, too, giving the fan a succinct "yes." Her response was just three letters long, but it's been enough to send fans and media alike into quite the tailspin. Whether or not it's true, a lot of people will want to know just how the Nicki Minaj/Eminem situation came to be.
Of course, it's possible that Minaj was just trolling her fans. But plenty of people have taken the comment as a confirmation that she really is dating Eminem:
Others maintain that Minaj's comment was typed in jest:
And some people used the news to make jokes about another unexpected celebrity couple:
Some fans, though, are more cynical about the news. One person called the reports a "publicity stunt" on Twitter:
As TMZ points out, Minaj actually mentions Eminem in her "Big Bank" verse, so it's possible that all of this could be a joke about that. Her lyrics in the song include the line, "Told 'em I met Slim Shady, bag the Em. Once he go black, he'll be back again."
Before the rumors about Eminem started swirling, Minaj dated Nas, but the two broke up in early January. And prior to that relationship, Minaj dated Meek Mill for about two years before breaking up in January 2017. At the time, Minaj tweeted that she was "single," writing on Twitter,
"To confirm, yes I am single. Focusing on my work & looking forward to sharing it with you guys really soon. Have a blessed New Year. Love u"
As for Eminem's dating life, he told Vulture in December that he wasn't dating much after his divorce from Kim Scott Mathers. The pair were married and divorced twice, with their second marriage ending in 2006. Eminem told Vulture,
"Since my divorce I've had a few dates and nothing's panned out in a way that I wanted to make it public. Dating's just not where I'm at lately."
Again, it's not clear if Minaj and Eminem are actually dating. But it sounds like Eminem hasn't had many serious relationships since his breakup with his ex-wife. He also told Vulture that he was meeting people on Tinder.
For now, the two rappers might be enjoying the attention Minaj's three-letter Instagram comment has brought them. (And it's worth noting that her tweet about being single last year takes a markedly different tone than her one-word answer in the Instagram comment.) Because, if anything, the speculation is at least generating more buzz for "Big Bank," and possibly for Minaj's upcoming album, Queen, too. She and Eminem might not choose to clarify their relationship status further anytime soon, though, so fans may still be just as confused as ever.
