Ashanti Shares Sentimental Reason Behind Her Son’s Name, Admits It Was Nelly’s Idea
Ashanti couldn’t be happier about her baby boy. She welcomed her first child, Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, with husband Nelly on July 18 and told Entertainment Tonight the touching meaning behind his name.
“His dad named him with a lot of pride,” gushed the “Baby” singer. “We were going back and forth for a long time on his name and he was very adamant. He was like, ‘This is what I want, I love this.’”
Ashanti expressed that her son was named after her father and it was actually Nelly who wanted to honor his father-in-law in that way.
“I thought it was just so amazing and so thoughtful and so sweet because Kenkaide is my dad’s name and obviously my dad has only girls, so Nelly was just like, ‘I think that would be really dope.’ This was all his idea,” she noted.
She also shared that Kareem means “generous, kind, noble, bountiful and dignified.”
When opening up about his birth, the 43-year-old said that her son came “a little early,” causing Nelly to “fly in last minute,” but he did make it “well before time.”
Ashanti shared, “Just having all of us in the delivery room and seeing his face for the first time, I cried. It was just so emotional and so spiritual. Kind of having a vision of this moment for so long. I always wanted children, I always wanted to get married. I didn’t know that I was going to spin the block and be with my ex from a long time ago.”
She and Nelly quietly eloped in December 2023, a decade after their initial breakup.
She continued, “But, just all of these emotions happening at one time, just knowing that this is your person, this is your purpose, this is what it’s supposed to be and the three of us together, when we were all able to hold each other it was such an electrifying feeling. It just validated all of that. It was very emotional and spiritual to say the least.”
The new mother has not shared photos of her son, but revealed that he initially resembled Nelly, but is now her “twin.” Coincidentally, Kareem also “sleeps exactly” like his dad.
This comes one day after Ashanti confessed to being four weeks postpartum in a joint Instagram post with Frida Mom. She wrote, “Funny how life’s plans aren’t…always on time.. lol. I’ve been waiting to be a mom for a long time now but nothing could prepare me for EVERYTHING motherhood brings! This is what postpartum looks like I’m loving these super cozy @fridamom shorts! I’m so proud of my body for giving me my baby, baby, baby, baby, boy.”
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