Nelly reveals he married Ashanti because she was pregnant
'Hot In Herre' singer Nelly has admitted that he decided to marry Ashanti once he found out she was pregnant.
Nelly married Ashanti because she was pregnant.
The 50-year-old rapper tied the knot with 'Foolish' hitmaker Ashanti, 44, in December 2023 and admitted that he quickly decided that they should say their vows because at the time, she was expecting their son.
Speaking on 'The Bootleg Kev' podcast, he said: "I was like, 'Yo, you know what? Let’s just knock this [wedding] 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."
Ashanti and Nelly did not confirm that they had married until June 2024, and just over a month later, she gave birth to their son KK.
She told E! News: "I am feeling amazing, incredibly pleased, humbled.
"My life has completely changed for the better. I feel full, you know? My cup is full.
"We’re going to add some more. Definitely a girl to balance it out. I’m outnumbered in the house right now. So, a girl would be great!"
Ashanti initially dated Nelly - who has Chanelle, 30, and Cornell, 25, with Channetta Valentine and then adopted his sister's children after she passed away - in the early 2000s but split up years before their reconciliation.
Ashanti said: "We were together for 11 years off-and-on.
"We stopped, we hated each other for a good chunk of time. And then we spun the block.
"It just feels like timing is everything."
The pop star added was initially shocked that her feelings for Nelly had returned because she thought they had "gone" away after the end of their relationship the first time round.
She said: "It was, ‘I can’t believe these feelings came back.
"That’s what it was for me. When we first started talking and dating again it was like, ‘Wait a minute, these feelings were gone. How did they creep back?"
Ashanti recently revealed that while her husband is keen to start sharing pictures of their little one on social media, she is not so sure.
She told 'Entertainment Tonight': "I just feel like he is so important to me, and I don't know if I want to share that. He's a beautiful baby. He's definitely my twin, 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."
