“I had bruises all over my body”
The Hollywood Unlocked shared a video interview by the publication’s Jason Lee with Kelis, during which Kelis alleges that she endured “mental and physical abuse” from Nasduring their relationship, which began in 2002. (They got engaged in 2004 and married in 2005; Kelis filed for divorce in spring 2009, and they were officially divorced the next year. They have one child together, Knight, who was born in July 2009. Their custody battle is ongoing.)
Jason Lee asks Kelis, “What was an intense low? What was the lowest point in your marriage?” Kelis responds:
It was really dark. Like, you know, there was a lot of drinking. There was a lot of, just, mental and physical abuse. And it just got to the point where, I think—for me, you know—God is so good because being pregnant, I think that I probably would have stayed longer had I not been pregnant.
Jason Lee asks for clarification, “So when you say ‘verbal and physical abuse,’ he hit you?” Kelis answers, “We would fight,” and later adds, “Did he hit me? Mhmm [she nods]. Did I hit him back? Mhmm [she nods].” She adds further, “It was because he would blackout. He would drink too much.”
At 25:25, Kelis mentions seeing photos from Chris Brown’s 2009 felony assault on Rihanna, and how it made her think about her own situation. (“I had bruises all over my body at that time,” she recalls.) “Seeing her, the way she looked, and then looking at myself, I was embarrassed. I was appalled.”
When reached by Pitchfork, Kelis’ representatives offered no further comment. Pitchfork has contacted Nas’ representatives.
