Nelly Says He Married Ashanti Because He ‘Didn’t Want Her to Be a Baby Mama’

Nelly had one crucial reason for marrying Ashanti.

Three months after their one-year wedding anniversary, the rapper, 50, shared during an appearance on The Bootleg Kev Podcast why he wanted to marry the R&B singer, 44, as soon as they found out she was pregnant.

According to Nelly, when they learned the news, they hadn’t talked about marriage. However, after seeing how their relationship was going, he knew it was something he wanted to do.

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“I was like, ‘Yo, you know what? Let’s just knock this out because we’re going to be doing so much and everything’s moving so fast.’ I didn’t want her to be a baby mama, you know what I mean?” said Nelly. “Because we already knew where we were in life. If we’re back like this, this must be what it’s supposed to be.”

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, he and Ashanti tied the knot on Dec. 27, 2023. However, the news wasn’t confirmed until months later, in June 2024. The couple tied the knot three months after they confirmed they were dating again in September 2023.

Before confirming their marriage, Ashanti revealed that she and Nelly were expecting their first child together during an April 2024 interview with Essence.

In August 2024, a rep for the couple told PEOPLE that their baby, Kareem Kenkaide Hayes, known as KK, was born on July 18, 2024.

Last November, Ashanti told PEOPLE that having KK in their lives was “amazing.”

“He’s a blessing. He’s an angel. My life is amazing right now. I’m super blessed, so happy. I’m insanely in love with him,” she said at the 2024 Baby2Baby Gala in Los Angeles.

Most recently, Ashanti was on hand at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards to present her husband with the Landmark Award, which honors “artists whose album releases have inspired and shaped culture over multiple decades,” per a press release.

During his appearance on The Bootleg Kev Podcast, Nelly confirmed that having Ashanti give him the award was a complete surprise, as he initially thought she was leaving his dressing room to go back to her seat.

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“I’m backstage, and I got you know my in ears, and I’m like, ‘I know that voice,’ and then I look to the screen and I’m like, ‘wow.’ It was dope, man. It was dope,” said Nelly. “That’s my baby, man. She did her thing.”