Ashanti Reveals How Nelly Has Taken to Being the Dad of a Newborn Again

Ashanti became a first time mother recently.

By Brenda Alexander

Fatherhood comes naturally for Nelly. Just ask his wife, Ashanti. The pair recently welcomed their son, Kareem Kenkaide Haynes. The birth of their baby boy came after a whirlwind reunion. The pair dated on and off for 10 years before they split in 2013. They rekindled their romance in early 2023, and within a year, they announced they were pregnant and engaged. 

A few weeks before their son was born, TMZ obtained a copy of their marriage certificate, which was documented in Nelly's hometown of St. Louis. The pair wed in December 2023. Now, Ashanti says she has the best partner on her motherhood journey as a first-time mama.

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Nelly, who has four other children he raised prior to the birth of his son with Ashanti, is the definition of super dad to the singer. "Honestly, it's really hard to describe in words. I remember just one night in the hospital, I was up for like three hours – it was like 5:30 – I had been up nursing and it was a super long night. Oh, and by the way, we call him [the baby KK]. So KK was crying a little bit," she told Entertainment Tonight in a phone interview.

Luckily, Nelly was there to save the day. "So he was crying and I was like, 'Ah, what do I do? Pacifier? Nurse again? I can't walk around too much but I definitely was up walking around. And daddy comes in, and he's like, 'Alright, give him to me.' And I swear, he just starts singing. He sits down and he's singing and he's cradling him. And I'm just like, 'I just tried everything, and daddy comes in singing and now he's smiling and quiet?!' But it was such an amazing and incredible feeling. I was a bit jealous in that moment," she admits.

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