Love moves quickly, particularly when you're Nelly and Ashanti. Hip-hop's most potent couple once again made headlines after Nelly confessed that he rushed to marry Ashanti to avoid "baby mama" status and secure their mounting family.
Speaking to Bootleg Kev in a sit-down interview, the "Hot in Herre" rapper shared details on why he decided to wed Ashanti in a private ceremony, explaining the emotional and logistical reasons behind the surprise marriage.
"But I was just like, 'Yo, you know what? Let's just knock this out because we gonna be doing so much and everything's gonna be moving so fast,'" Nelly recounted. "And I didn't want her to be a baby mama. Because we already knew where we were in life, and if we're back like this, this has to be what this is,"
Their wedding, in December 2023 in St. Louis County, Mo., was a low-key, private event, not the kind of flashy spectacle you might expect from two such musical icons. The two had an on-again, off-again relationship that lasted two decades, but they finally made it official, showing that it only took them two decades of off-and-on love to make it full circle.
Nelly and Ashanti's story started in 2003 when the two first met at a Grammy Awards press event. For the next decade, they became a defining romance in Hip-Hop and R&B, with breakups, makeups, and speculation. However, by 2013, their official separation had seemingly finished their love story.
But fate had other plans. Almost nine years later, they were in the same room again, this time at the 2021 installment of the Verzuz battle featuring Fat Joe vs. Ja Rule. And it was just a straightforward moment that set social media on fire: Nelly walking over to the stage to hug Ashanti. Fans wasted no time speculating whether it was an unrelated celebratory friendship hug or something brewing.
Reflecting on that now-viral moment, Nelly revealed it was the first step in rekindling their romance. "I just went over, you know, we got a hug," he said. "Break the ice and boom. And we probably didn't speak for the next eight to nine months." But everything happens for a reason.'"
Fast-forward to now, and not only are they back together, but they're also creating a family. Their quick decision to marry before life became "too hectic" shows how much they have grown as individuals and as a couple. The on-again, off-again love story bookended by several divorces is now more permanent.
Now that their marriage is public knowledge, fans are rejoicing at the long-awaited reunion of one of Hip-Hop and R&B's favorite couples. And with a baby coming, their journey is just getting started. When love is true, it'll work things out even after years apart.
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