Nelly Shares Glimpse Into Ashanti's Motherhood Journey After ...
Ashanti Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Nelly
Ashanti and Nelly are so happy, baby.
After the couple privately welcomed a baby boy named Kareem Kenkaide “KK” Haynes in July, they shared the happy news on Aug. 21. Now, the “Ride With Me” musician is sharing insight into their first month of parenthood.
“Having kids is always a blessing,” Nelly told E! News in an Aug. 21 statement, “And seeing how dope Ashanti is as a mother is awesome.”
Shortly after announcing their arrival, Ashanti also shared the meaningful inspiration behind her son’s name, noting that it was actually Nelly who suggested it.
“Kenkaide is my dad’s name,” Ashanti told Entertainment Tonight on Aug. 21. “And obviously my dad has only girls, you know, so Nelly was just like, ‘I think that would be really, really dope. And this was all his idea.”
The “Happy” singer announced that she had welcomed her first baby on Instagram, sharing a candid photo of her postpartum body.
"This is what postpartum looks like," the 43-year-old wrote in her Aug. 21 Instagram post. "I’m so proud of my body for giving me my baby, baby, baby, baby, baby."
Alongside the caption, the proud mom shared a video of herself in a set of Frida Mom’s postpartum underwear and a floor-length silk robe. In the clip, she pans over her figure before telling the camera, "Four weeks postpartum—you have no idea what this body can do."
Prior to welcoming their baby, Ashanti opened up about her latest chapter with Nelly—who is also father to Chanelle and son Cornell Haynes III with ex Channetta Valentine, and adopted his sister Jackie Donahue's kids, Shawn and Sydney Thomas, after she passed away in 2005—noting that she was fulfilling her lifelong dream.
"I’ve been waiting to be a mom for a long time now," she added in the post, "but nothing could prepare me for EVERYTHING motherhood brings!"
Ashanti and Nelly, 49, announced their pregnancy and engagement simultaneously in April, seven months after confirming they had rekindled their early aughts romance. Shortly after, public records revealed the couple had already privately tied the knot in December 2023.
As for who the little one most resembles, Ashanti told ET, “In the beginning he was definitely resembling Nelly more. But now? Oh my gosh, he’s my twin.”
