Nicki Minaj Sums Up the Kind of Partner Strong, Successful Women Need

Members of Nicki Minaj's and Meek Mill's respective fandoms (hey #Barbz!) will be delighted to hear that the royal rap couple recently sat down with GQ for a rare two-on-one interview about their relationship.

In the piece, they keep it real AF about everything from Twitter (Nicki: "I'm very happy I tweeted about the VMAs.") to who they want to go on double dates with (Meek: "Alicia Keys and Swiss Beats, Jay Z and Beyonce,") to past relationships (Nicki: "I've only had three boyfriends in my whole life.").

But the best part was when Nicki dished about the real secret to their compatibility: Meek acknowledging that she's a successful, independent, grown-ass woman.

"It takes a special kind of man to be with a woman who has her own, and it takes a special kind of man to not feel insecure by a woman who is doing her own thing," Minaj told the magazine. "Obviously I'm a strong woman in a lot of ways... I'm not a strong woman in every way. I don't want to make it seem like I am some superhero, because I'm not. But I do know that it takes a certain kind of guy. And time will tell if Meek is that kind of guy, because it's definitely not easy."

The lovebirds also posed for a glamorous, PDA-filled couples' photoshoot:

Secure men like Meek are unfortunately quite the rare find. According to a 2013 study, it's not uncommon for men to feel threatened by their more successful partners' accomplishments. In the study, men in heterosexual relationships reported feelings of low self-worth after taking an IQ test and scoring lower than their partners. 

"It makes sense that a man might feel threatened if his girlfriend outperforms him in something they're doing together," Kate Ratliff, the lead researcher, said. "But this research found evidence that men automatically interpret a partner's success as their own failure, even when they're not in direct competition."

To be fair, Meek is an extremely successful rapper in his own right. But when you consider the two are both working in the same industry, his sense of security with himself and his pride in her success is even more impressive. 

At one point in the GQ interview, Minaj turned to Meek and directly asked him what he likes about her. His response is so cute and supportive we could puke: "That you was a hustler," he said to his GF. "That you were doing your thing. A lot of people coming up. People don't really have a girlfriend that's doing more than them or the same thing. I like girls that hustle. She a boss. She's pretty as fuck. Bad as shit. Ambitious. What else do you want?"

Praising a female partner's success and ambition rather than feeling threatened by it? That's the mark of a strong man. 

h/t GQ