Ashanti Says She Hasn’t Spoken To Nelly Since Their Split; What Caused Their Breakup?

Nelly and Ashanti were one of hip-hop’s most gorgeous looking couples. He hailed from the “dirty south” of St. Louis and she was the “princess of R&B.” Their music careers were on fire when they joined forces as a couple. Nelly was the leader of the rap crew, St. Lunatics and Ashanti was the only singer on Irv Gotti’s record label, Murder Inc. Nelly was with Ashanti during her nasty split from the label that involved allegations of an affair between her and Gotti her ultimate decision to end her contract. They broke up after nearly 10 years together and she recently revealed that she hasn’t seen him since their split. 

Ashanti reveals she hasn’t spoken to Nelly since their breakup

While appearing on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live, one fan wrote in and asked Ashanti if Nelly ever paid her the money he owed her. After their breakup, it was alleged that the rapper borrowed more than $500,000 from the songstress to pay off debts he owed to credit card collectors. According to Ashanti, that was untrue. 

“He didn’t owe me any money,” she said before laughing.

When Cohen asked her if they currently have a good relationship or at least are cordial terms since their split, she says that oddly, she hasn’t seen him since their breakup. 

“I honestly haven’t seen him since we broke up, which is crazy,” she said. Considering they are both in the same industry and have attended the same events over the years, it’s definitely strange that they have yet to have an encounter. Cohen joked that Nelly was a guest on the show, leaving Ashanti frazzled. Thankfully, it was all in good fun and her ex was nowhere in sight. 

Why Ashanti and Nelly broke up after nine years together 

The couple dated for years before confirming they were in a relationship. Despite the dozens of award shows and industry events they attended together, holding hands and grinning ear to ear, they kept their relationship status under wraps. 

Part of the reason they didn’t speak about their relationship publicly is because they were on and off for a number of years. They met in 2003 and had a series of breakups and makeups. But in a 2008 interview with People Magazine, Nelly said he and Ashanti were “serious.” Ashanti also hinted that an engagement may be on the horizon. They also spoke about their relationship on Nelly’s VH1 2011 Behind The Music special, where Nelly praised Ashanti for being his support system following his sister’s death. 

During their relationship, they released duets together, including their single “Body On Me” and “Just A Dream.” The music wasn’t enough to keep them together. In 2012, they split for good. Ashanti later said that she was “betrayed” by Nelly during an episode of The Meredith Vieira Show. She also referred to him as a coward, hinting that infidelity played a part in their final breakup. 

Ashanti used music to help her through heal from the breakup with the release of her 2014 album, Braveheart. The song “Scars” details the emotional pain she endured following their split. 

Nelly has moved on with his girlfriend, Ms. Jackson. Ashanti’s career is keeping her busy enough to not focus on a relationship at the moment. She’s participating in two tours next year, one in the U.S. and another in Europe.