Nicki Minaj set the Internet ablaze on Friday when she appeared to confirm to a fan on Instagram that she and Eminem were dating — but the whole thing was just a joke, according to a new report.
Minaj, 35, rapped about Eminem on YG’s new single “Big Bank” (which also features Big Sean and 2 Chainz), saying that she had “met Slim Shady” and that “once he go black, he’ll be back again.”
“I met Slim Shady. Bagged a EM!!!” she wrote on Instagram, captioning her video post.
It didn’t take long for a follower to ask Minaj, “You dating Eminem???” Minaj simply replied, “Yes.”
Neither Minaj nor Eminem’s reps replied to PEOPLE’s request for comment. But while fans wondered if she was serious, sources close to Minaj told TMZ “the rapper was only joking” and that “there’s nothing romantic between the two.”
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That may explain why Eminem (né Marshall Bruce Mathers III), 45, got in on the joke — answering Minaj’s affirmation with, “Girl you know it’s true.”
“Babe, I thought we were gonna keep it on the low til the wedding,” Minaj responded to the rapper. “Yikes. I’ll talk to you when I get home.”
The exchange between Eminem and Minaj, who’s been known to jokingly flirt via social media, came months after Eminem told Vulture that he hasn’t been dating much.
“It’s tough. Since my divorce I’ve had a few dates and nothing’s panned out in a way that I wanted to make it public,” he explained. “Dating’s just not where I’m at lately.”
Eminem, who was previously married to ex Kim Scott, went on to reveal that he mostly uses Tinder to meet women. Occasionally, he breaks out of the digital realm and seeks love in the real world.
“I also used to go to strip clubs,” he admitted. “What can I say? Going to strip clubs is how I was meeting some chicks. It was an interesting time for me.”
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Meanwhile, Minaj — who was last linked to Nas — has been busy, gearing up to release her fourth studio LP, Queen.
Singles “Barbie Tingz” and “Chun-Li” are already out, the latter of which she already performed last week on the season finale of Saturday Night Live.
The full album was originally due on June 15, but Minaj announced on Thursday that the record will now drop Aug. 10. When it does, it’ll be Minaj’s first new album in four years. A tour, beginning in September, is planned as well.