Nelly and Ashanti welcome their first child together

ST. LOUIS — Ashanti, 43, and Nelly, 49, have welcomed their first child. They shared the news on Instagram today . The baby boy named Kareem Kenkaide Hayes was born on July 18, 2024. A representative for the couple confirmed the news with People Magazine .

“Funny how life’s plans aren’t always on time, LOL. I’ve been waiting to be a mom for a long time now but nothing could prepare me for EVERYTHING motherhood brings!” states Ashanti on Instagram.

Nelly and Ashanti have kept their relationship and personal milestones mostly private, including their recent marriage. The two singers, who were a couple in the early 2000s before breaking up in 2013, reunited ten years later. According to Missouri records , they quietly tied the knot on December 27, 2023.

Nelly recently surprised audiences in Cleveland during Machine Gun Kelly’s “MGK Day” performance, just days after being arrested at a St. Louis casino. His arrest stemmed from a 2018 infraction, leading to a warrant issued in December 2023 after he won several jackpots this month at Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights. During the arrest, officers found pills believed to be ecstasy. Nelly was briefly detained and released.

His attorney, Scott Rosenblum, criticized the handling of the arrest , noting that Nelly had no prior notice of the warrant and routinely passed FBI checks for international travel. Rosenblum is confident the case will not progress and plans to request an inquiry into the officer’s conduct.

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