Throughout the 2000s, R&B singers Nelly and Ashanti were one of music‘s hottest power couples. The two parted ways for good in 2014 but have remained good friends since then. In December 2022, the two singers reunited for a performance, and some fans noted their onstage chemistry, going so far as to call for the two to get back together.
Nelly and Ashanti dated throughout the 2000s
Nelly burst onto the scene in 2000 with his smash debut single “Country Grammar (Hot S***)” and his debut album of the same name. Ashanti made her debut in 2002 with her No. 1 and No. 2 collabs with Fat Joe and Ja Rule, “What’s Luv?” and “Always on Time”; her debut solo single, “Foolish”, spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Both Nelly and Ashanti were R&B stars on the rise, so it was natural for them to cross paths eventually. According to HITC, the two first met at a Grammy Awards press conference in January 2003.
“The first time I met Nelly he asked me for my autograph, but I think he was being sarcastic and I remember writing it down on the program,” Ashanti recalled in a 2011 interview with Rap-Up. “It all started out as a joke. For the record, it took him a long time to get my number.”
Nelly, meanwhile, told Rap-Up that he wanted to take it slow, as he had plans to take Ashanti to the altar. “I think you really have to be friends first. It’s not about how long it takes,” he said. “I’m not a person that wants to get married more than once. If I’ma do it, I’ma do it.”
The couple split for good in 2014. Ashanti hinted at the reason behind their breakup in an appearance on The Meredith Vieira Show the following year.
“I think sometimes when people have their own insecurities, it allows them to act out of character,” the “Foolish” singer said. “I’ve been betrayed. You just have to grow. You have to grow up. You have to accept responsibility for the things that you do. I’m not a big fan of people being cowards.”
Fans are calling for a Nelly & Ashanti reboot’
In December 2022, Nelly and Ashanti hit the stage together at the Under the Mistletoe concert series in Glendale, Arizona. While performing their 2008 collab “Body On Me,” Ashanti started grinding on Nelly. The clip quickly went viral on social media, as fans of both singers called for the two to rekindle their relationship.
“Yo Nelly #ILoveIt,” rapper Lil Mama commented on The Shade Room‘s Instagram post. Singer Syleena Johnson added, “I like them, they should get back together.”
Another fan on Twitter wanted them to get back together and revive their relationship from the 2000s, as Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck did in the 2020s. “I mean, there’s Ben & Jen… can we get a Nelly & Ashanti reboot pleaseeee,” they wrote.
Both are happy today
Ashanti and Nelly remain good friends today, and have each had their own romantic lives separate from each other since their breakup. Nelly has been dating his longtime girlfriend, Shantel Jackson, since 2014.
Over the years, Ashanti has been rumored to be in relationships with people from Nas to Flo Rida. She admitted in a Breakfast Club interview that she’s been in a number of relationships where no one has known publicly because the two haven’t posted each other on social media.
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