When it comes to couples spinning the block, few have demonstrated the success rate of Nelly and Ashanti. Thanks to a Verzuz while we were all stuck in the house and trying our best to practice social distancing, the two rekindled a romance that fans had long rooted for.
Fast forward to the present, and not only are Nelly, 50, and Ashanti, 44, happily married, the couple are also new parents to their son, 8-month-old Kareem Kenkaide Hayes. The best part is that they manage to keep their second chance at love relatively low-key, excluding occasional social media photos and videos.
Now, Nelly is opening up about why he finally decided to get married to the love of his life after several years apart.
During a recent appearance on The Bootleg Kev Podcast, Nelly explained how Ashanti’s pregnancy led him to speed up the process of walking down the aisle.
“I was like, ‘Yo, you know what? 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?” Nelly said. “Because we already knew where we were in life. If we’re back like this, this must be what it’s supposed to be.”
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Per People, Nelly and Ashanti got married on Dec. 27, 2023, which was just three months after they confirmed they were officially dating again in September 2023.
The news of the couple’s nuptials wasn’t confirmed until summer of the following year, in June 2024 — a few months after Nelly and Ashanti announced they were expecting their first child in an exclusive interview with Essence in April 2024.
The new parents recently popped out at this year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards, where Ashanti surprised Nelly by presenting him with the 2025 Landmark Award.
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“I’m backstage, and I got you know my in ears, and I’m like, ‘I know that voice,’ and then I look to the screen and I’m like, ‘Wow.’ It was dope, man. It was dope,” Nelly gushed about Ashanti. “That’s my baby, man. She did her thing.”
