Kelis spoke out about her tumultuous marriage with her ex-husband, Nas, on Thursday after a nearly decade-long silence.
In an interview with Hollywood Unlocked, the "Milkshake" singer, 38, accused Nas, 44, of inflicting "mental and physical abuse" over the course of their five-year marriage.
"I probably would have stayed longer had I not been pregnant (with son Knight) because I really did love him and because we were married," Kelis said. "We weren't dating, we were married. Like, this was my person."
Kelis said she first met Nas when she was 22, and that their relationship involved "drinking a lot" and "getting high a lot."
"We had really intense highs and really intense lows. It was never normal," Kelis said.
The singer revealed that seeing photos of Rihanna following a domestic dispute with Chris Brown in February 2009 convinced Kelis to leave Nas.
"When the Rihanna and Chris Brown pictures came out, I thought about coming out because I also had bruises all over my body. But I didn't say anything because I'm private," Kelis said. "But seeing her the way she looked and then looking at myself ... I felt embarrassed."
In April 2009, Kelis filed for divorce while she was seven months pregnant with Knight.
She married real estate agent Mike Mora in 2014, with whom she has a 2-year-old son, Sheperd.
"I've moved on," Kelis said. "I'm married. I have another baby. My life is good."
The former couple has recently sparred over custody of their 8-year-old son, which hit a snag earlier this month when Nas accused Kelis of refusing to let him pick up Knight for Easter weekend.
The Daily News has reached out to Nas for comment.
