It is so important to have a solid support system when putting yourself out there and Nivea is dishing on the people that are rooting for her.
The singer told Page Six exclusively that both Lil Wayne (né Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.) and Terius “The-Dream” Nash, the fathers of her children, readily supported her decision to pursue love on Peacock’s new reality dating show, “Queens Court.”
“I told Wayne about it. He was like, ‘Oh, wow, do your thing. I know it’s going to be a great experience,’” she says, recalling a conversation with the “Lollipop” rapper, 40, with whom she shares 13-year-old son Neal.
“He was just cheering me on,” the Grammy-nominated star adds.
Meanwhile, Nivea, 41, notes that her former spouse, The-Dream, 45 — with whom she shares daughter Navy, 17, and twin sons London and Christian, 16 — was excited to see her sparkling sense of humor shine through onscreen.
“Dream was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is crazy. You’re gonna make everyone laugh!’” says the mother of four.
“And they were just very supportive and I think, like me, like, ‘Who knows what could come out of it? Why not?’”
Nivea — who rose to fame in the early aughts for a succession of hit singles, including “Don’t Mess With My Man,” “Laundromat,” “Okay” and “Complicated” — participated in “Queens Court” alongside fellow leads Tamar Braxton and Evelyn Lozada.
The trio explored connections with dozens of men to figure out who was worthy of being their “King.”
While both Braxton, 46, and Lozada, 47, got engaged on the series finale, Nivea tearfully dumped both of her finalists, Mark “Mac” Anthony and Ty — but only after learning to prioritize herself when navigating romantic partnerships.
“The show helped me get to a place where I realized that I was OK with being alone and it really launched me into my self-love journey, which I’m so grateful for,” she explains.
“As great as all the guys were, especially Mac and Ty, there is still so much more work to do and I want to really fall in love with myself again before I open up my world to another man.”
Potential suitors are often intimidated by the magnitude of Nivea’s life — namely, her legacy in the music industry and her close co-parenting dynamics with Lil Wayne and The-Dream, artists who have each left an indelible mark on the landscape of hip-hop, rap and R&B.
“It’s always [been] different, whether it showed up in [men] pretending to not be fazed or care at all, to try to compete, to just give up completely after so long,” she says.
“It is what it is. It’s a very unorthodox lifestyle.”
Although men may come and go, Nivea says the love that she, Lil Wayne and the “Falsetto” musician have for their kids remains constant.
“Thank God for the people that co-created and made these babies, honey,” she says.
“Because if it weren’t for us — and I mean this with each and every woman and man involved — we all have the understanding that it’s about the children and that’s a blessing.”
Notably, Lil Wayne also shares daughter Reginae, 24, with ex-wife Toya Johnson, son Dwayne, 14, with Sarah Vivan and son Kameron, 13, with Lauren London.
For his part, The-Dream also welcomed daughter Violet, 13, with ex-wife Christina Milian and young sons Heir and Lord and daughters Maverick and Élysées with his current wife, LaLonne Martinez. Additionally, he shares a son with ex Lydia Lam.
“Look how many of us it is!” Nivea enthuses, joking that the modern family could front their own unscripted series.
“I mean, they wouldn’t do it,” she acknowledges. “I would because that would be hilarious, right? But thank God that we understand, child, these babies [are] here and we respect each other as people and in business. So, it’s love.”
