2018 MTV VMAs Bolster Security After Nicki Minaj Feud With Safaree

After rapper Safaree Samuels publicly accused his ex-girlfriend Nicki Minaj of cutting him so [...]

By Libby Birk

After rapper Safaree Samuels publicly accused his ex-girlfriend Nicki Minaj of cutting him so badly he needed emergency medical attention, the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards are beefing up security for Monday night's show.

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(Photo: Jason Merritt / Staff / Getty Images)

TMZ reports that those in charge of security at the Radio City Music Hall venue are aware of last week's spiteful war of words between Minaj and Safaree on Twitter, when the 37-year-old claimed he "almost died" after she cut him at some point during their 12-year relationship. The two split up in 2014.

Security staff has reportedly taken extra measures, including more guards, to ensure Minaj and Safaree don't have any interaction at the event, where they will both be doing press on the red carpet before the awards ceremony. Minaj will be performing and promoting her new album, Queen, while Safaree will be there representing VH1.

Last week Safaree claimed he was hospitalized as a result of a cut he suffered at the hands of Minaj.

"Remember the night you cut me and i almost died the police and ambulance had to take me out the crib on a stretcher and I had to lie and tell them I was trying to kill myself so they wouldn't take you to jail," he tweeted in a lengthy Twitter argument between the two exes.

Minaj responded, calling him a thief and a liar. "U stole my [credit] card & told me you thought it was an account with 'free money' that I didn't know about. On God. God will strike you down & more for lying," she wrote, in part.

Safaree sued Minaj in 2016, alleging physical and emotional abuse, although he dropped the lawsuit later that year citing a change of heart, Pitchfork reports. The former couple have also previously fought publicly over whether or not he ghost-wrote some of her lyrics.

In a tweet from last week's argument, Safaree wrote, "How many times have I said I never wrote ur raps? Nobody even talks about that anymore."

Minaj's VMA drama likely won't stop short with Safaree this year; fans are wondering if she will encounter any awkward moments with Travis Scott and girlfriend Kylie Jenner, both of whom she called out on Twitter over the weekend and who she is seated nearby for the awards show.

Sunday afternoon, Minaj accused Scott of unfairly inflating album sales by selling "season pass" bundles for his upcoming tour with his album — earning Astroworld a No. 1 spot on the Billboard album charts, while Queen sits one slot below at No. 2.

"I put my blood sweat & tears in writing a dope album only for Travis Scott to have Kylie Jenner post a tour pass telling ppl to come see her & Stormi. lol," she wrote, referring to Scott and Jenner's 6-month-old daughter. "Im actually laughing. #Queen broke the record of being number 1 in 86 countries. Thank Jesus & thank you to my fans."

Last week, when Scott announced the tour, Jenner revealed on Instagram that she and Stormi would be joining him on the trek. Alongside a photo of the tour's official graphic, Jenner wrote, "Me and storm ready for tour."

It's possible the extra security measures may not be needed at all, as Minaj wrote later on Twitter that her tweets about album sales were "sarcasm/dry humor."

"People are calling me thinking I'm huffing & puffing. Omg y'all this is sarcasm/dry humor. Yikes. I'm having the most icoNIC time," she wrote. "Loosen up."

The 2018 MTV VMA Awards will air from Radio City Music Hall in New York City Monday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. ET. See more VMAs coverage here.

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