Nelly and Ashanti are leaning all the way into the holidays as new parents.
The rapper opened up about Christmas plans with his wife and their 17-month-old son, Kareem, while attending iHeartRadio’s Z100 Jingle Ball in New York City. When asked if their son will be spoiled this season, Nelly did not hesitate to say, “yes”.
“Yes. Definitely yes,” he told Us Weekly exclusively. “And well deserved. He’s such a joy to be around. He’s a happy baby.”
The couple welcomed Kareem Kenkaide Haynes in July 2024, months after tying the knot following a decade-long break from their original relationship. Nelly shared that their son has quickly become the center of everything.
“Even if you’re feeling down, he’ll make you laugh,” he said. “He’s just like his dad, man. He tries to stay positive, but he looks like his mother. So he gets it both.”
Fans recently got a closer look at their life as new parents in their Peacock series Nelly and Ashanti: We Belong Together, which premiered in June of this year. According to Nelly, more episodes are already in the works.
“We’re definitely working on season 2,” the 51-year-old said. “We want to thank everybody that supported us out the gate.”
He added that the show reflects real life rather than scripted moments.
“I don’t like to call them story lines, it’s just our life. And that’s the beautiful thing about it is that we love to bring the positive to it, man, we think there’s so much negative going on in the world. We just wanted our show to be a moment of positivity [and] joy,” Nelly told the outlet. “People can see we advocate for family, sticking with your family. Hang [with] it and everything will be OK.”
Nelly and Ashanti first became a couple in the early 2000s. They publicly reunited in 2021, tying the knot in December of 2023. They welcomed Kareem seven months later.
Looking back on his career, Nelly said becoming a parent again has shifted his perspective. “You’re just more mature. You’re way more thankful,” he shared.
As for advice he would give his younger self?
“Save all your money.”
Photo Credit: Ashanti Instagram; BCKOnline
