Nicki Minaj's ''overprotective'' mother wasn't happy when she started dating Meek Mill.

The 32-year-old star, who split from Safaree Samuels in late 2014 after 12 years of dating, admits the women in her life, including her mother, Carol Maraji, were initially wary of the 28-year-old rapper because they feared he would break her heart.

The 'Anaconda' hitmaker said: ''My mother only knows Meek from what she sees in public, in the media. She's met him now, but she just wants to make sure he's a nice guy. She's overprotective of her daughter.

''Another thing people don't realise is I've only had three boyfriends in my whole life. I've never dated around ... I don't have a whole lot of experience in that department so my mother and my family were very like, 'What?'

''This is a big step, because they've only known one thing for over a decade. Even my pastor, who's like a second mother, was scared. Everybody was just scared. Those women were scared for me because when I love someone I really let them in, and I really let me guard down, and I think it's only natural for a mother to just you know, she just wanted to make sure I wasn't rushing into anything.''

But Nicki knew she ''was in trouble'' after speaking to Meek on the phone for the first time because she felt an instant connection.

She told the October issue of GQ magazine: ''We were friends for a very long time and he was someone that I was able to really confide in. Nothing that we do is for TV.''