He’s in New Orleans for Essence Fest—as is Minaj, who is headlining the weekend.
Their romance has long been a thing of the past and they both have moved on to start families separately from each other, but Safaree Samuels and Nicki Minaj cannot dodge people who like to revisit their history. Samuels emerged with then-girlfriend Minaj as she was developing her career in the mainstream, and in several of her performances and interviews, he was right by her side. Like many relationships, the romance didn’t last, but that hasn’t stopped the world from teasing Samuels about the past.
Yesterday (June 30), New Orleans became a hot spot once again as the Essence Festival kicked off a long weekend of celebrations. From panels to parties to performances, celebrities and fans alike have descended on the Big Easy, including Safaree Samuels.
Fresh off of social media controversy involving his ex-wife Erica Mena, Samuels was just about to get settled into his temporary digs for the Essence Festival when he noticed the artwork.
“I’m in New Orleans, I check in the spot. I don’t know if these people are trying to be funny, but it’s not funny!” he said in a video as he is seen sitting in front of the Nicki Minaj poster. “It’s not funny! It’s not funny.”
He took it all in stride and people were happy to see he could get a joke or two out of it. It doesn’t seem that this was a purposeful dig; Minaj is also in town as she is one of the headliners for the festival.
