Nivea, R&B star and Lil Wayne's ex, reveals cancer diagnosis

R&B star Nivea is facing one of the toughest battles of her life with strength and gratitude.

Appearing on Cadillac Chronicles on Tuesday, July 21, the Grammy-nominated singer revealed she was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year and shared that her treatment has been progressing well.

“Well, first of all, I was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year, and I’m so grateful to God,” said Nivea, who celebrated her 44th birthday in March. “I’ve been going through treatment, and everything is going great so far. And I expect it to continue. Amen, amen, amen.”

The Don’t Mess With My Man hitmaker reflected on how the diagnosis has changed her outlook, saying she now approaches life with even greater appreciation. “It’s so cliché to say you don’t know the time nor the hour, but it’s true and it just helped me put a lot of things in perspective, and I live in gratitude, like, religiously, and I’m just grateful for everything,” she shared.

Despite undergoing treatment, Nivea isn’t putting her dreams on hold. “I’m doing things I wanna do,” she said, revealing she has returned to music while also studying audio engineering, a skill she has long wanted to master.

She added that spending time “loving on” her four children remains one of her biggest priorities, alongside embracing every opportunity that comes her way.

The early-2000s R&B star, best known for songs including Laundromat, Okay and Don’t Mess With My Man, was married to Terius “The-Dream” Nash from 2004 to 2008, and the pair welcomed three children together.

She also shares 16-year-old son Neal with rap icon Lil Wayne.