Nelly and Ashanti celebrate their son's birth together

Nelly and Ashanti are celebrating the joyful arrival of their son, Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, born in July 2024. At the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Ashanti shared that she has been doing monthly photo shoots since his birth. During an interview on the red carpet, Nelly jokingly commented on the frequent celebrations, saying their son has already had eight birthday parties. Ashanti quickly corrected him, explaining that they are not actual birthday parties, but rather themed photoshoots each month. Nelly continued to joke about saving their son from too much attention, wishing he could escape the photographers. Ashanti chimed in, laughing that Kareem will appreciate the memories when he grows older. Nelly also mentioned that they could use these photos as "blackmail" in the future. This is the first child for Ashanti, while Nelly is already a father to three children from previous relationships.