Rapper Nelly recently opened up about his decision to marry singer Ashanti in December 2023. The couple, who had an on-and-off relationship in the early 2000s, rekindled their romance and tied the knot after learning that Ashanti was pregnant with their first child together. Speaking on “The Bootleg Kev” podcast, Nelly explained, “Once we found out that she was pregnant, I was like, ‘Yo, let’s just knock this out because we’re going to be doing so much and everything’s moving so fast.’ I didn’t want her to be a baby mama, you know what I mean?
Because we already knew where we were in life. If we’re back like this, this must be what it’s supposed to be.”
Nelly and Ashanti kept their marriage private until June 2024, just a month before welcoming their son, Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, in July. Ashanti expressed her happiness and sense of fulfillment in an interview with E! News, saying, “I am feeling amazing, incredibly pleased, humbled.
My life has completely changed for the better. I feel full, you know? My cup is full.”
The couple’s journey to marriage was not without its challenges.
Love reignited by unexpected pregnancy
They initially dated for 11 years before splitting up and “hating each other for a good chunk of time,” as Ashanti put it. However, their feelings for each other eventually resurfaced.
“It was, ‘I can’t believe these feelings came back,'” Ashanti confessed. “When we first started talking and dating again it was like, ‘Wait a minute, these feelings were gone. How did they creep back?'”
Despite their excitement about their growing family, Ashanti remains hesitant to share pictures of their son on social media.
“I just feel like he is so important to me, and I don’t know if I want to share that,” she told “Entertainment Tonight.” “He’s a beautiful baby. He’s definitely my twin! Sometimes I want to post, I’m like ‘Oh this is so cute.’ Daddy definitely wants to post, Daddy wants to post. But I’m like ‘Not yet, Daddy, not yet.'”
Nelly and Ashanti’s love story serves as a reminder that sometimes, timing is everything.
Their decision to marry and start a family together reflects their commitment to each other and their shared future.
