Thursday evening (Sept. 6), Nas decided to break his silence, taking to Instagram to address his ex-wife Kelis, who came forward back in April 2018 detailing allegations of domestic violence and other toxic behavior in an in-depth video interview.
While some fans refreshed their timelines looking for an official statement to appear, as such is becoming the norm in the era of #MeToo, others anticipated Nas would eventually respond on wax. However, both the summer and the release of his 2018 album Nasir have passed with Nas remaining mum until now.
During a multi-part series on Instagram, the Queensbridge MC bares all, telling his side of the story in the caption section under seven reposted blacked out images. The rapper doesn’t often get personal on his social media, with many fans reacting to the now-viral posts and weighing in with their own interpretations of what Nas and Kelis are going through.
In the first part of the scattered statement, Nas shares his perspective about the nightmare it has been trying to see their 9-year-old son, Knight, despite the fact a judge granted joint custody back in March of this year. He also explains that he chose to comment on the situation because he got word that Kelis was doing “another sad fictitious story,” as well as later on adds that his conscious decision to leave their personal matter off social media will no longer be used against him.
Woven into the posts comes a variety of allegations against Kelis, with Nas writing that she was verbally abusive to his daughter Destiny (who was born in 1994 to his ex-fiancée Carmen Bryan), as well as explaining that she had attempted to sabotage his career (by turning off his phone and insulting colleagues). He also mentions that it is fortunate for Kelis that all of their assistants had signed NDA’s preventing them from corroborating.
Additionally, the statement also marks the first time Nas has addressed Kelis’ claims he was allegedly violent against her, expressing that the opposite is true.
“I do not beat women,” he wrote in the statement. “I did not beat up my ex wife.” Later on, he accused her of fabricating lies, adding, “You made up stories about me and claimed I did things that YOU DID.”
In his final post commenting on the matter, with his statements arriving five months after the initial allegations against him made headlines, Nas addresses his fans, thanking those who knew the real reason he remained silent on the matter.
“And to all the fans that knew my silence was due to the fact that I don’t openly do this kind of petty shit… I appreciate you riding,” he concluded. “And to those that were lead down a wrong path… I get it… very sensitive times and all things must be taken seriously. This is MY TRUTH. And I don’t care what else she has left to say unless it concerns our son.”
Take a look at Nas’ seven-part statement via Instagram, below.