Ashanti & Nelly Welcome First Child Together & Reveal Baby Boy’s Name

Ashanti and Nelly are officially parents! The couple, who dominated the R&B genre in the late ’90s and early 2000s, have welcomed their first child together. A representative for the couple shared to PEOPLE, “Ashanti and Nelly welcomed their baby boy, Kareem Kenkaide Hayes, on July 18, 2024. The proud and happy parents are so in love with KK!”

The pair initially dated in the early 2000s and broke up but rekindled their romance years later in September 2023. The 49-year-old rapper expressed in an interview on Boss Moves with Rasheeda, which was shared by “The Shade Room,” that their split helped them grow. “We both were pretty much doing what we do,” he said.

The “Dilemma” singer added, “Sometimes, being apart helps you understand each other better. You start to see things from their perspective. We all can be defensive in relationships, even when we know we’re wrong. But we all fall victim to that.”

As time passed, they began parenthood together. This marks the “Into You” singer’s first time as a mom, while Nelly is already a father of four. He adopted Shawn and Sydney Thomas from his late stepsister, and Cornell and Chanelle are from his past relationship with Channetta Valentine.

Ashanti took to Instagram to share a glimpse into motherhood, showing off her four-week postpartum bump. She captioned her post, “Funny how life’s plans aren’t always on time… lol. I’ve been waiting to be a mom for a long time, but nothing could prepare me for EVERYTHING motherhood brings!”

She added, “This is what postpartum looks like. I’m loving these super cozy @fridamom shorts! I’m so proud of my body for giving me my baby, baby, baby, baby, baby.”

This joyful news comes shortly after reports surfaced that the “Unfoolish” singer had already married Nelly back in December 2023. Despite these reports, she still told Essence in April, “Motherhood is something 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.”