Ashanti made a second guest appearance on The Angie Martinez Show and spilled all the details about her new life as a mother and rekindling her love with rapper Nelly. The singer, 44, also touched on the topic of spinning the block, which she seems to have done successfully.
Martinez opened up that conversation by asking whether circling the block is a good thing and what Ashanti has learned about that.
“What I’ve learned is to never say never,” the Foolish singer said. “That’s number one. And what’s meant to be will be, regardless of how you feel, what you think, the timing, what’s in the universe for you will be there regardless.”
Martinez followed up asking under what circumstances the artist feels spinning the block is ok.
“It’s okay when it’s genuine and you’ve grown. You can’t be spinning the block and hitting your head and on the same curve. You know what I’m saying?” Ashanti explained.
She continued, “You have to grow from whatever the problem was earlier. You have to grow from that and mature and understand each other, have a mutual respect. And I think that’s what made it special for us. You know what I mean?
Nelly and Ashanti officially spun the block in early 2023 after reconnecting on the Verzuz stage in 2021. Prior to that, the couple dated between 2003 and 2013 but had a rocky relationship that decade.
“Like, obviously, we both dealt with other people. And then you start to see things too. Like, damn, I guess it wasn’t so bad, you know?” Ashanti laughed.
Not every spin the block story is successful and sometimes, two people can be worse off for it. However, in Ashanti and Nelly’s case, giving love a second chance yielded a positive outcome. The couple quietly got married in Missouri back in December 2023 and gave birth to their son Kareem Kenkaide Hayes in July 2024.
In June 2024, Ashanti admitted to ET that she never imagined her life would pan out this way.
“Never in a million years did I think we would be here,” she said.
“Ten years ago — maybe yes — but after our breakup, you know, I didn’t even think we’d ever have a conversation again.”
We love a solid 90s-music inspired Black love story and are rooting for these two!