Nicki Minaj is so sick of people speculating about her relationship that she would prefer to say that she's not in one at all.

That's not entirely true, of course. The rapper told Ellen DeGeneres that she's got a good thing going with current guy Meek Mill — but also emphasised that the bauble she's been rocking since last winter is not an engagement ring.

"I have two rings from this boy that likes me," Minaj explained to DeGeneres, adding that her beau said that a third ring would signify getting engaged. But the "Night Is Still Young" artist isn't even sure that's what she wants. "We're still figuring each other out. And in fact, I don't even want to say that I'm in a relationship anymore, because I think when people hear that, they go to like the mean place," she said.

DeGeneres tried to get Minaj to open up a little more about it, but the singer was firm on the subject. "I would rather not. You know, I used to be secretive," she said. "I used to say, 'I'm not in a relationship,' even though I was in a 12-year relationship [with Safaree Samuels]." And these days? "Now I feel like just going back to that and saying, 'You know what? I'm single."

It's easier just to say 'I'm single' if you're trying to escape all the speculation, according to Minaj. "You just have to do you and make yourself happy and forget about trying to get everyone's approval," she shared. "It's better just to keep those things sacred. So, now, I don't really care to say 'I'm in a relationship' or 'I'm engaged' or whatever. There's a boy that likes me. That's all."

So what tipped the scales when it came to keeping her private life much more private? Listen to Minaj explain how followers' comments caused her pull back on sharing, in the Ellen clip below.