Ashanti, 43, gives birth to first child with husband Nelly just two weeks after rapper was arrested for drug possession

ASHANTI has given birth to her first child with her husband, Nelly.

Ashanti and Nelly , 49, announced they were expecting a child in April 2024, and the couple secretly wed nearly a year earlier.

Getty Images

Instagram/ashanti

Instagram/ashanti

The singer, 43, dropped the exciting news on Instagram alongside a full-body mirror photo on Wednesday.

“Funny how life’s plans aren’t…always on time.. lol,” she cheekily wrote, referencing her 2001 song with rapper Ja Rule .

“I’ve been waiting to be a mom for a long time now but nothing could prepare me for EVERYTHING motherhood brings!

“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.”

In the second slide, Ashanti proudly showed off her postpartum figure via a video.

She held her belly and slyly said, “You have no idea what this body can do.”

Ashanti revealed her pregnancy news in April through a comedy skit starring her mom.

The Rain on Me singer said she and Nelly were expecting their first child in the comedic Instagram video .

The video showed the singer about to take the stage as her mother, Tina Douglas, asked her how long it would be until show time.

Ashanti walked through the curtains with a pregnancy test, saying she would need “about nine months.”

The video was captioned, “Baby, baby, baby, baby,” a nod to her classic 2002 hit, which she circled back to in her birth announcement.

At the same time, Ashanti and the Hot In Herre rapper announced they were engaged.

However, TMZ reported that the timeline is a little fuzzy and that they may have gotten engaged three months earlier.

Although the pair announced they were engaged in April 2024, it was also reported by TMZ that they actually tied the knot in December 2023.

Shortly after, the couple confirmed that they had been wed for much longer than they had previously shared.

This child marks Ashanti’s first but Nelly’s fifth.

VERY RECENT ARREST

Earlier this month, Nelly was arrested and booked for drug possession after being pulled over in the early hours while driving.

He had a glassy-eyed mugshot taken – and his lawyer denied the drug charge.

Nelly & Ashanti's Relationship Timeline

Fans are in awe of Nelly and Ashanti's love story, as they've undergone several milestones in their romance. Here's a breakdown of their relationship timeline.

• Nelly and Ashanti met at a Grammy Awards press conference in 2003 and began dating shortly after.
• In 2009, rumors circulated that the couple had called it quits.
• They squashed the chatter when they attended rapper TI ‘s wedding the following year.
• After 10 years of dating, Nelly and Ashanti eventually split in 2013.
• In February 2023, rumors began brewing that the exes had rekindled their relationship after fans spotted clues on social media.
• They further fueled rumors that they were back together that April when they were seen together at a boxing match in Las Vegas , Nevada, and holding hands upon leaving the venue.
• Nelly confirmed that he and Ashanti were an item again during an interview in September 2023.
• In April 2024, the duo announced they were engaged and expecting their first child together.
• Later that June, it was revealed that the pair had secretly tied the knot six months earlier.

According to arrest records, Nelly was arrested at Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights, Missouri , a suburb outside St. Louis .

The Hot in Herre rapper was pulled over by the Maryland Heights Police Department and was cited for possession of four ecstasy pills and having no insurance.

The incident occurred early that morning and Nelly was taken into custody around 4:45 am.

In a statement to The U.S. Sun, Maryland Heights police said, “We arrested him for Failure to Appear on an old traffic charge out of Maryland Heights, MO.

“We received him from the State of Missouri Highway Patrol, Gaming Division at the Hollywood Casino this morning around 5 am.”

In a statement to Us Weekly , Nelly’s attorney said the arrest had to do with an outstanding warrant.

“Mr. Haynes was not charged with drug possession. He was arrested for ‘No Proof of Insurance’ from 2018 on a warrant issued December 2023 that he received no notice. Mr. Haynes was targeted by an overzealous, out of line officer,” they said.

‘WE COOL AGAIN’

The two hip-hop legends confirmed their rekindled romance in 2023.

Nelly dropped the news while speaking on Boss Moves with Rasheeda .

“Yeah, we cool again,” the rapper revealed.

“It wasn’t anything that was, like planned. I think we both was pretty much doing what we do.

“But sometimes being separate, you understand one another more.”

Nelly and Ashanti’s resurrected romance comes a decade after the pair called it quits.

The couple began dating in 2003 after meeting at a Grammy Awards press conference at the height of their respective careers.

However, the Body On Me musicians broke up in 2009 and got back together the following year.

Ultimately, the couple split for good in 2013 until they got back together in 2023.

SECRET WEDDING

The same day Ashanti announced she was expecting, the couple revealed they were engaged, according to Essence .

“This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation,” she told the outlet as she proceeded to call Nelly her “fiancé.”

“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,” she said.

Here’s where the timeline gets interesting as in June, it was revealed they’d really already been wed – doing so in December 2023.

According to public records, the stars made their nuptials official in Nelly’s hometown of St. Louis County, Missouri.

Although they made their marriage official on December 27, it is unclear where Ashanti and Nelly held their ceremony.

WireImage

WireImage