Nelly recently shared candid insights into his whirlwind reunion with Ashanti, revealing how their unexpected pregnancy prompted a swift marriage to ensure she wouldn’t be labeled a “baby mama.”
The rapper opened up during an interview with Bootleg Kev, tracing the journey from a chance encounter to tying the knot.
The couple, who first dated from 2003 to 2013, had been apart for nearly a decade when they crossed paths at the 2021 Verzuz battle between Fat Joe and Ja Rule.
Nelly, then accompanied by someone else, kept it brief. “I just went over, got a hug… broke the ice,” he recalled. “We didn’t talk for another almost 8-9 months to a year.” But when they finally reconnected, things moved fast.
“Once we found out that she was pregnant, I was just like, yeah… We hadn’t talked about any of that yet,” he said.
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Determined to solidify their bond, Nelly proposed marriage soon after. “I was like, ‘Yo, you know what. Let’s just knock this out because we’re gonna be doing so much, and everything’s moving so fast,’” he explained.
“And I didn’t want her to be a baby mama.” The decision reflected his desire to honor their relationship amid the rapid changes.
After reuniting in 2023, Nelly and Ashanti welcomed their first child, a son named Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, in July 2024, following a private wedding ceremony that year.
Their story came full circle from their early 2000s romance to building a family a decade later. Ashanti, in a February 2025 E! News interview, hinted at expanding their brood.
“We’re going to add some more. Definitely a girl to balance it out,” she said, noting she’s currently “outnumbered” at home.
