Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj’s Relationship Started While Meek Was in Jail

Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill are hip-hop's hottest couple and their recent GQ spread will only elevate their status as the music world's "it" couple. While they've toured the country together and been very public on social media about their love, neither has done an interview about how the seeds of their relationship were planted and how they came to date. During their GQ photoshoot, which was held the same day Drake released "Charged Up," writer Mark Anthony Green got in-depth with the couple and asked about Meek's courting of Nicki from prison and more. Read an excerpt and check out the photos via Meek Mill's Instagram below:

GQ: When did the courting start? Not the relationship… the courting.

MM: About a year ago or something like that? I can't say for sure. Maybe a year and change.

[Nicki play-slaps Meek]

GQ: Nicki, when did you know you liked him more than just physical attraction?
NM: Um, oh, I remember. When he came to LA we had only been speaking about rap shit, talking about the Kendrick verse and stuff at that time. And I was just like yeahhh you need to do this, you need to that…

MM: She was telling me to bomb everybody.

NM: Shut up. I was just telling him to be confident as an artist because I liked his music, etc. And then he came down to LA and we went to the studio and after that I didn't see him for a very long time. We shot a video and I think probably around that time I was like oh, he's cool. In terms of taking him seriously and going to another level with him: when he went to jail I was left in a house by myself and it was just a tough time for me and it happened to be a tough time for him as well.

GQ: Why were you left in a house by yourself? What do you mean?

NM: Ummm….

GQ: Complications with your ex boyfriend?
NM : Right. Yeah, it was weird and so at that time I was available. So I reached out to him letting him know…, It's so funny that the day he went to jail, he was on my mind the day before.

MM: Basically she was feeling the kid before when I got booked.

NM: He was on my the day before because I saw him going off on twitter, and I was like oh man, he needs somebody to like make him feel good right now. So when I heard he went to jail I was really disappointed, I reached out to his people like yo, let him know I'm praying for him to come home. And they told him, and he asked them to call me for him. And it was like, I remember sitting on my balcony at my house and just being on the phone with him until it started getting dark outside. And I was just like yo, I'm in trouble. I just knew that first day, it was that long conversation. I was like uh-oh.

GQ: So you basically got most people's dream girl from jail Meek… You sure you don't want to tell us that secret?
MM: No, just keep it real. Keep it real with yourself and great things will happen. When keeping it real goes right that's what we call it.

NM: We just spent so much time talking that I had such a strong mental connection. It was insane. We got so close.