St. Louis rapper Nelly has been a pop culture fixture for 20 years, but there are still some things even his most hardcore fans don’t know about him. With the news breaking that he and longtime girlfriend Ashanti are expecting their first child together, some of those fans might be wondering whether Nelly has any other kids — or just how many.
As it turns out, when his and Ashanti’s child is born, that will make five kids for the “Country Grammar” rapper, who has two children from prior relationships and two adopted children, who are also his niece and nephew. He adopted them after his sister Jackie died from luekemia complications in 2005. Although he generally keeps all of the kids out of the public eye, he has occasionally posted photos with them on special occasions:
How Many Kids Does Ashanti Have?
Ashanti’s child with Nelly will be her first.
How Long Have Nelly And Ashanti Been Dating?
The couple’s dating history is more complex than the average. They originally began dating in 2003 and were together for nearly a decade. After another ten years passed, though, they rekindled their relationship early this year after trying being just friends. At the Grammys, Nelly told Entertainment Tonight, “Time does wonders for a lot of different things. And time is one those things that allows you time to reflect on what’s what, and you get a chance to see things in a different light and see your faults. So I think we both did that and it’s cool that we just friends.”
It certainly looks like they’re back together for real this time.