Exploring the Members of Hood$tars: Nicki Minaj’s Brief Rap Group

Nicki Minaj initially pursued a career in acting before she discovered her true passion in rap. With five successful studio albums, four major world tours, and numerous accolades to her name, Minaj has established herself as one of the wealthiest and most followed female rappers globally.

Like many artists, Minaj started from humble beginnings in the early 2000s. She attributes her life-altering turn to sign with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment, though her journey began well before that.

During the early 2000s, Nicki Minaj was a member of the music collective Hood$tars, alongside Safaree Samuels, 7even-Up, Scaff B, and Lou$tar.

Nicki Minaj Departed from Hood$tars to Join Dirty Money in 2007

According to Nicki Minaj’s fanbase, she recorded six tracks as a member of Hood$tars:

Batman
Don’t Mess With
Hot 97 Freestyle
La La Means I Love You
Lean Back
You, Me, Him, and Her

In April 2004, the group was featured in a Park Slope track entitled La Dee Da De (We Like 2 Party).

However, the group disbanded shortly after, with 7even-Up facing legal troubles in 2005. Minaj returned to her various day jobs alongside Lou$tar and Scaff B, eventually embarking on a solo career with Safaree Samuels at her side as they had just begun dating.

Later in 2007, she signed with Dirty Money Entertainment.

Minaj Maintained a Relationship with Safaree Samuels for 12 Years After Leaving Hood$tars

Nicki Minaj departed from Hood$tars with Safaree Samuels, who remained her hype man for years. Although they aimed to pursue independent rap careers, Samuels was unsigned even when Minaj secured her second label agreement with Young Money Entertainment in 2009.

In her iconic 2010 track, Super Bass, Safaree made a brief cameo in the music video. Their relationship lasted 12 years until their split in 2014.

In 2011, public tensions began to surface between Nicki and Safaree, with fans speculating about their struggles long before their eventual breakup.

Following their separation, Safaree harbored resentment toward Minaj for a while. He transitioned to a reality TV career, while Nicki continued to thrive in the music industry.

A year after parting ways with Samuels, Nicki started dating fellow rapper Meek Mill.

Samuels Described His Breakup with Nicki as a Dark Period

Earlier this year, Safaree Samuels appeared as a guest on the We In Miami podcast. During the episode, which aired on July 9, he reflected on his breakup with Nicki Minaj ten years prior. He stated:

“I was with Nicki, we broke up. Her fans and certain people they just wanted it to be like, ‘OK they not together no more. F**k him, let it be nothing. Let him disintegrate, let him disappear, whatever.’

Safaree also discussed how Minaj’s relationship with Meek Mill complicated matters for him, adding:

“You gotta think about I had two of the biggest people in the world against me. That meant everybody would be against me. So nobody wanted to be next to me. Nobody wanted to work with me or none of that sh*t. So it just made everything hard and that sh*t that was a dark time for me.”

Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill’s relationship ended in 2017, after which she briefly dated Nas, parting ways amicably. In 2018, she reunited with her childhood sweetheart and now-husband, Kenneth Petty. They got married in 2019 and welcomed their son in 2020.

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