Ashanti Welcomes Baby Boy and Gets Candid About Postpartum Life

Ashanti and Nelly are officially parents!

The What’s Luv singer delighted fans with a heartfelt glimpse into her postpartum journey on August 21. “It’s funny how life’s plans aren’t always on schedule…lol,” she captioned an unfiltered selfie and a video, taken four weeks after giving birth. “I’ve dreamed of being a mom for so long, but nothing could have prepared me for the whirlwind that is motherhood! This is what postpartum looks like, and I’m loving these super cozy @fridamom shorts! I’m incredibly proud of my body for bringing our little one into the world.”

The R&B and rap duo have named their baby boy Kareem Kenkaide Haynes—a name that holds deep meaning for the couple. Kenkaide is a tribute to Ashanti’s father’s name, while the couple chose Kareem because of its generous, kind and dignified meaning.

Baby Kareem was an early arrival, causing Nelly to rush back just in time for the birth. “Having everyone in the delivery room and seeing his face for the first time, I broke down in tears—it was such an emotional and spiritual experience,” Ashanti shared with Entertainment Tonight. “I’ve envisioned this moment for so long… it was truly electrifying.”

The What’s Luv singer and Ride Wit Me rapper shared the news that they were expecting their first child together on April 17. In a video posted to Instagram, Ashanti gets ready backstage as her mother Tina Douglas asks her how much time she needs. “Uh, I’m gonna need about nine months,” Ashanti answers with a pregnancy test in hand, prompting her mom‚ and viewers around the world to drop their jaws in surprise.

Shortly after debuting the news on her Instagram, Ashanti revealed another super surprise—she’s expecting her baby with rapper Nelly and the two are engaged! “This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation,” she told Essence. “Motherhood is something that 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.”

One of the early 2000s “It” couples, the duo rekindled their romance 20 years later and attended several events together. The two first confirmed they were together in 2023 after Ashanti debuted a purse with Nelly’s face on it at the Grammys. Nelly says things are “much lighter now that they’re older and doing love differently. It’s no pressure,” he said during an interview last fall with Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta stars Kirk and Rasheeda Frost. “You know, before I felt like both of us are doing what we’re doing career wise. And when you got so many people in the middle of it, it can be tough.”

The baby will be Ashanti’s first child and Nelly’s fifth. The Country Grammar artist has a 26-year-old daughter, Chanelle and a 21-year-old son Cornell Jr. who he shares with ex-girlfriend Channetta Valentine. The rapper also adopted Shawn and Sydney Thomas, the two children of his sister, Jackie Donahue, after she died of leukemia in 2005.

Our congratulations to Ashanti and Nelly on their next big adventure!