Safaree Samuels is making some pretty serious accusations against ex-girlfriend Nicki Minaj, revealing that she was both physically and verbally abusive towards him at points during their 12-year courtship.

During a recent interview on The Casey Crew podcast, host DJ Envy referred to the abuse, which Safaree deemed the main reason he chose to move on from the “Starships” artist.

DJ Envy: What made you never leave? I don’t wanna say you were battered but you were an abused boyfriend…sometimes Safaree couldn’t leave the crib. I swear on everything!

Safaree: Nah, Nah that’s true but it’s because she was sheltered, she’s in her cocoon and I’m there with her. I didn’t really have a life outside of that. I was really comfortable but then the fights and stuff it was getting too crazy. I was like, you know what? I don’t wanna go to jail, I don’t wanna go to the hospital.

I walked away, I’m not a confrontational person and I don’t like to argue. We’re not gonna be doing this all day every day, I’m not gonna have hands put on me and the verbal—it takes a while to get over that. It took me a while to have my confidence that’s why I was going to the gym so hard. It took me a good 4 and 1/2 years to be like, “Okay, now I’m me and I’m walking in my own.”

Check out the full interview below.