Nelly and Ashanti turned the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards into a date night, celebrating not only Nelly’s prestigious Landmark Award but also their growing family.
The power couple, who secretly tied the knot in December 2023, couldn’t help but gush over their baby boy, Kareem, during interviews on the red carpet.
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Monthly Photoshoots and First Birthday Plans
During an exclusive chat with Extra’s special correspondent A.J. Andrews, Ashanti revealed her adorable tradition of organizing monthly photoshoots for their son, who will turn one this summer. Nelly, however, humorously pointed out that it feels like Kareem has already had “eight birthday parties.”
“Man, this boy had more birthday parties than me,” the rapper joked, referring to Ashanti’s commitment to capturing every milestone.
Ashanti quickly clarified, “They’re not birthday parties. They are photoshoots every birthday month. That’s what it is.”
Nelly then added, “I’ve been trying to save him from the photoshoots. When he gets older and sees all of this, he’s gonna be like…”
“He’s gonna love it,” Ashanti laughed, while Nelly playfully responded, “Blackmail. I’m gonna love it for blackmail.”
Is Baby No. 2 on the Horizon?
While the couple is enjoying parenthood with their first child together, Ashanti hinted that she wouldn’t mind expanding their family soon. During their red carpet interview with E! News, she admitted she’d be open to having “one or two more” children.
Nelly’s response? “Must be getting another nanny,” he quipped, earning laughs from both Ashanti and the interviewer.
Despite his humorous take, Nelly is clearly relishing fatherhood. Ashanti praised him for being a loving and dedicated dad, saying, “It’s just beautiful to see the love and the emotion. I mean, he has it with all his kids, but obviously, KK is the baby right now. So, it’s beautiful to see.”
For Nelly, parenting is nothing new—he’s already a father to Chanelle, 31, and Cornell, 26, from a previous relationship. He also took in his late sister’s children, Shawn and Sydney, after she passed away from leukemia in 2005. But watching Ashanti embrace motherhood for the first time has been a special experience.
“She’s waited so long,” he shared. “Now she’s tackling motherhood with the best attention she could, anyone could give, and she’s killing it.”