Nelly and Ashanti are among Hip-Hop’s favorite couples and new parents. The 50-year-old rapper shared some of his parenting hacks ahead of their reality series premiering on Peacock this week.
The couple appeared on NBC Today to promote Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together, debuting this Thursday (June 26). They have been married for almost two years, reuniting in 2023 after previously dating from 2003 to 2013. They welcomed their first child, Kareem Kenkaide, in July 2024, less than a year after the “Grillz” artist put a ring on it. Now, they have to navigate their careers and parenthood, but the St. Louis rapper has a simple approach.
“Listen, I told her before we had this baby, I said, ‘Now listen, I’m here. But chasing toddlers at 50…’” he said with a laugh. Despite acknowledging he may not have the energy for it, he isn’t placing a limit on how many blessings they can bring into the world. “I said, ‘As many as you want, but as many nannies as we can afford,’” he added. “I pay for a professional chaser.”
Ashanti admitted that the change hasn’t been easy in the promotional trailer for their series. “KK is my first child, so I’m a little more frantic.” In their NBC interview, she expanded a bit on that sentiment.
“We are really in real life managing our lives together, our child, our careers, traveling, getting those moments, the cameras, it’s a lot,” she added.
Nelly, cool as ever, revealed his own goal in rearing their child: “My parenting style is just don’t burn down the house.”
His mindset comes from experience, as he has two children with his ex-girlfriend Chanetta Valentine, who are both adults. He also adopted his late sister’s three children in 2005. It will be interesting to see how his experience, her adjustments, and their parenting styles mesh in their forthcoming Peacock series.
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