Nelly and Ashanti, who quietly got married in December 2023, have welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Kareem Kenkaide Hayes. The couple’s representative confirmed the news to E! News, noting that the baby was born on July 18.
Ashanti also shared the joyful news on her Instagram account on August 21, posting a photo of herself in postpartum underwear. “Funny how life’s plans aren’t always on time… lol,” the singer wrote. “I’ve been waiting to be a mom for a long time now, but nothing could prepare me for everything motherhood brings!” She proudly acknowledged that “this is what postpartum looks like” and expressed her pride in her body for bringing her baby into the world.
The couple first announced their pregnancy and engagement in a joint Instagram post on April 17, just seven months after confirming they had rekindled their relationship. The post featured a video of Ashanti getting ready backstage, accompanied by the caption, “Baby baby baby baby…,” a nod to her hit song from 2002. When asked how long she needed, Ashanti humorously replied, “I’m gonna need about nine months.” For Ashanti, who is 43 years old, motherhood had always been a cherished dream.
“I was so shocked and happy and emotional,” Ashanti told Entertainment Tonight after revealing her pregnancy. “I always dreamed about it. I wanted it so, so bad, and I just feel like the timing was perfect.”
While this marks Ashanti’s first experience with motherhood, Nelly, at 49, is already a father of five. He shares daughter Chanelle and son Cornell Haynes III with his ex, Channetta Valentine, and adopted his late sister Jackie Donahue’s children, Shawn and Sydney Thomas, after her passing in 2005. Fortunately, Ashanti will have strong support in this new chapter of her life, surrounded by loved ones.
In an April interview with Essence, Ashanti expressed her excitement for the future. “This new year of my life is such a blessing, full of love, hope, and anticipation,” she said. “Motherhood is something I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience.”
Although the couple publicly announced their engagement in April, it was later revealed through public records that they had already tied the knot on December 27, 2023. Reflecting on their journey, Ashanti admitted that she never imagined they would end up back together. “Never in a million years did I think we would be here,” she told Entertainment Tonight in June. “Ten years ago—maybe yes—but after our breakup, you know, I didn’t even think we’d ever have a conversation again.”
The two musicians first met over two decades ago and dated on and off for nine years before breaking up in 2013 to focus on their careers. However, in September 2023, Nelly confirmed that they had rekindled their romance after a decade apart. “We cool again,” he shared on Boss Moves With Rasheeda. “I think it surprised both of us. It wasn’t anything that was, I don’t think, planned. I think we both were just doing what we do. But sometimes being separate, you understand one another more.”
Just three months before their secret wedding in St. Louis, Nelly shared his thoughts on marriage. “I’ve never been married,” he said. “My goal is to die married—not just to have been married. When I make that oath, it’s death do us part for real. But I think the goal is to leave this earth knowing that you had somebody that loved you and was with you.”
