Fat Joe is taking credit for bringing Ashanti and Nelly back together — and he wants a special reward.
Ashanti, 43, and Nelly, 49, initially dated from 2003 to 2013 and rekindled their romance last year after 10 years apart. Fat Joe, 53, now claims he is responsible for getting them back together again when they reunited at his Verzuz performance with Ja Rule in September 2021 in New York City.
“So the other day Ashanti FaceTimes me with Nelly,” the “Lean Back” rapper said during an Instagram Live session on Saturday, January 20. “I immediately tell them I need 10 percent of this kid, because if it wasn’t for Verzuz when I brought Nelly out, me against Ja Rule, that’s when they saw each other and that energy connected again.”
Nelly performed at the 2021 show, and Ashanti also hit the stage with Fat Joe to perform their 2002 hit, “What’s Luv?” Nelly and Ashanti hugged at the event after not seeing each other for several years.
During an interview on The Angie Martinez Show in November 2021, Ashanti opened up about her brief reunion with her ex.
“You know what, the crazy part is he didn’t say anything,” she said. “First of all, I didn’t know he was going to be there. I told Joe, like, ‘Joe, why you ain’t tell me he was gonna be there?’”
Using her best Fat Joe voice impression, Ashanti continued, “He was like, ‘Sis, I know, it’s terrible.’ He was like, ‘I couldn’t risk you not coming if you knew he was going to be there.’”
“You know what, the crazy part is he didn’t say anything,” she said. “First of all, I didn’t know he was going to be there. I told Joe, like, ‘Joe, why you ain’t tell me he was gonna be there?’”
Ashanti admitted she was very surprised to see her ex.
“It was very unexpected. I hadn’t seen him in, like, six years or more. Spoken or seen,” she said. “It was a little awkward.”
Eventually, the couple began dating again. The two first sparked romance rumors in May 2023 when they attended the 3rd Annual Birthday Ball for Quality Control CEO Pierre “P” Thomas at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The following month, Ashanti brought Nelly out on stage during her Las Vegas show to perform “Body on Me.” They were also spotted holding hands at the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia boxing match in Las Vegas.
Last month, Us Weekly confirmed that Ashanti is pregnant.
“Nelly and Ashanti are welcoming their first baby together,” a source exclusively told Us. The baby will be Ashanti’s first child, while Nelly, 49, shares daughter Chanelle, 29, and son Cornell Haynes III, 24, with ex Channetta Valentine.
Nelly confirmed his relationship with Ashanti in September 2023 in a clip from Philo TV’s “Boss Moves With Rasheeda,” saying, “Yeah, we cool again.” He revealed that their rekindled romance “surprised both of us though,” adding, “It wasn’t anything that I don’t think was planned.”
In October 2023, the couple went Instagram official as Nelly celebrated Ashanti’s birthday.
“Such a beautiful, an incredible person inside and out and one of the hardest working women I know,” he wrote. “@ashanti Enjoy your day Ma you look awesome!!!! Happy Birthday Love ya!!!!”
Ashanti returned the favor in November 2023 by giving Nelly his dream car, a 1962 Impala convertible, for his birthday.
“She had been planning this surprise for months and it was such a hard secret to keep. But seeing his reaction made it all worthwhile,” a source exclusively confirmed to Us.
After Nelly shared a picture of the new car via social media, he hinted that he and Ashanti were planning to start their own family. When a fan wrote in the comments section, “Get her pregnant @nelly,” the “Hot in Herre” rapper replied, “I’m on it.”
