Ashanti Explains Meaning Behind Name of Her and Nelly’s Baby Boy

Ashanti is opening up about the meaning behind her newborn son’s royal name. “His name is Kareem Kingkaide Haynes. And his dad named him with a lot of pride. We were going back and forth for a long time on his name,” she admits in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight. 

“He was very adamant. He was like, ‘This is what I want, I love this!’ I thought it was just so amazing, and so thoughtful, and so sweet because Kingkaide is my dad’s name. And obviously my dad has only girls,” she noted, referring to herself and her younger sister, Shia Douglas. “So Nelly was just like, ‘I think that would be really, really dope.’ And this was all his idea.”

As far as the meaning, there was a lot of consideration when naming their son something of substance. “Kareem, it means generous, kind, noble, dignified, bountiful, and just having dignity. So I was like, ‘Oh, that’s so cute,’” she gushed. 

Labor and delivery went as smooth as could be for the John Tucker Must Die actress. “It was such an amazing, incredible feeling and experience. He actually came a little early and dad had to fly in last minute, which was awesome. He made it well before time which was incredible,” she explained. 

The “Baby” singer says her village surrounding her made the experience even more divine. “Just having all of us in the delivery room and seeing his face for the first time, I cried. It was so emotional and so spiritual at the same time…I always wanted children, I always wanted to get married. I didn’t know i was gonna spin the block and be with my ex from a long time ago. It was just all of these emotions happening at one time just knowing this is your person,” she gushed.

Nelly and Ashanti dated for 10 years before they split in 2013. They reconciled in 2013 and wed in December of the same year.