Celebrities know that their fans enjoy seeing them hanging out with their famous friends.
And recently, Nelly and Ashanti gave their social media followers an inside peek of what a double date looks like between them and their friends, Ja Rule and his wife, Aisha Atkins, by sharing a video.
The four celebrities were spending time together at a bowling alley that they’d rented out for themselves, and they were in the middle of a friendly competition, couple versus couple.
What Did Nelly Do To Ja Rule?
But the reason the video got so much attention was because of Nelly.
After getting a strike in the game, he began singing his own rendition of Ja Rule’s famous song Put It On Me that he released back in the early 2000s.
However, the thing that people found the most entertaining was the way he was singing.
Nelly was having a little fun at the expense of his rapper friend by imitating Ja Rule’s super recognizable voice and style.
Ashanti tried her best to sing the backup vocals without laughing too hysterically, but it was obvious that she found her husband’s performance hilarious.
Luckily for Nelly, Ja Rule and his wife were laughing along with him.
The two couples have reportedly been close ever since Ashanti and Nelly spun the block in 2023.
Bowling night meant that the pair, who’ve just become new parents, got to take some time off from their parenting duties to have fun with their friends.
Online users took to the comments section of an Instagram post that included the video clip of Nelly mocking Ja Rule.
One fan wrote: “They’re so happy and I love that for them.”
Someone else added that Ashanti and Nelly have been smiling and laughing ever since they got back together.
Ja Rule And Ashanti’s Chemistry
Ja Rule and Ashanti have been friends and collaborators for over two decades.
They were both the biggest names at Irv and Chris Gotti’s infamous hip-hop record label.
Page Six reported that the pair first enjoyed success together in 2001 with their hit song What’s Luv?
They went on to make around 10 more songs together, and they have often teased the idea of doing a joint album together.
There was always speculation that the pair might’ve dated each other in secret at one point because of how comfortable they were around one another.
But Ashanti has repeatedly denied the rumors.
A report by Capital Extra revealed that Ashanti told her friend Fat Joe in an interview that it was crazy to have that kind of chemistry with someone that she wasn’t in a relationship with.
She said: “Our chemistry was so ill. We never messed with each other like it never was even a thing.”
Ashanti went on to share that they could not see each other for months, but then they’d be at an awards show and perform on stage together, and it’d look like they’d been together the whole day.
She claimed that sometimes, they would even be coordinated with their outfits, just by chance.
HotNewHipHop described the duo as having a ‘sibling-like relationship’ and noted that they affectionately call each other ‘bro’ and ‘sis.’
Nelly’s Tour
Though the pair have shared the stage together even as recently as 2023, it’s Nelly who’ll be performing alongside Ja Rule throughout 2025.
According to KTLA, Nelly is taking his Where The Party At Tour on the road soon, and he’ll be joined by some other big names from the early 2000s.
Aside from Ja Rule, he’ll also take the stage with singers like Eve, Fabolous, Jermaine Dupri, Chingy, and his former rap crew, the St. Lunatics.
The tour is said to be celebrating the 25th anniversary since Nelly put out his debut album, Country Grammar.
It’s said to start in New Zealand and finish in the US, with 54 dates in total.
It’s reportedly the rapper’s most expensive tour ever.
So, it’s clear that over recent years, Ja Rule has gotten close to Nelly, too.
Ashanti Credits Ja Rule And Fat Joe For Her And Nelly Reuniting
In the past, Ashanti jokingly credited the hip-hop star for her and Nelly getting back together.
In her interview with Entertainment Tonight, she said that she had to give thanks to Ja Rule, Fat Joe, and DJ City, who was the one who reportedly gave Nelly her phone number.
It was thanks to Ja Rule and Fat Joe’s Verzuz battle in 2021 that she and her husband reconnected.
According to PEOPLE, Ashanti and Nelly were both blindsided.
They weren’t expecting to see each other at the event.
At one point, Nelly crossed the stage to give his then-ex-girlfriend a hug.
Ashanti did an Instagram live with her friend Ja Rule after the show, and she shared how surprised she was to see Nelly there.
She said: “I haven’t seen him or spoken to him since we broke up… So, I didn’t know what to expect.”
She went on to add that when they first saw each other, Nelly’s eyes got big and she didn’t know what was going to happen.
She didn’t know what to expect.
But it ended up being positive.
Ja Rule even gave his take on the couple’s surprise reunion when he went on The Tamron Hall Show.
He said: “I don’t wanna blow sis up… But the chemistry was there.”
He predicted that they missed each other, and the way they clicked, it just came back so fast.
Ja Rule Speaks Out On Time Irv Gotti Calls Out Ashanti
But Ja Rule hasn’t always had Ashanti’s back – at least not as much as he could’ve done, according to some people.
In 2022, he appeared on a controversial episode of Drink Champs along with the founder of the label that he first signed with, Irv Gotti.
An XXL MAG article revealed that during the episode, Irv claimed that he and Ashanti were together at one point, and he shared some pretty racy things about their alleged relationship.
He also kept calling her the B word.
Not long after the interview, Ja Rule took to Instagram to share that he didn’t condone the way that Irv was talking about his friend.
He posted a throwback photo of him and Ashanti performing on stage, and captioned it by saying that he loved his ‘sis’ and he loved his ‘bro,’ but he did not agree with Irv’s behavior and the way he handled things on the show.
Fat Joe Calls Out Irv Gotti And Ja Rule
Fat Joe also used his social media platform to call Irv out for the things that he’d said about his friend Ashanti.
But in his post, he also shamed Ja Rule for not defending the R&B singer enough, even though he was right next to Irv, listening to him speak badly about her.
Ja Rule fired back at Fat Joe in an online comment where he alleged that he did defend her by telling Irv not to call her the B word.
But an article by Andscape made the accusation that while he did eventually tell Irv to stop insulting her, he was still laughing at a lot of the offensive things that he was saying about her.
How Nelly Proposed To Ashanti
Judging by the video at the bowling alley though, Ashanti is not holding any grudges against Ja Rule.
And in her ET interview, she revealed that the three men that she’d credited with helping her get back together with Nelly were all overjoyed when they found out that they were engaged and expecting a baby.
When talking about her engagement she shared that it was an intimate moment just between her and Nelly.
He caught Ashanti off-guard by asking her to marry him while they were casually hanging out in their bedroom.
She confessed that she was completely shocked, but then admitted that she’d felt like it was going to come soon.
She just didn’t know when.
Ashanti went on to reveal that the way that it happened was just so funny, because she was just sitting in their bed watching TV with boxers on.
She was then asked about her reaction, and it was obvious from her answer that she was touched.
She shared that she started to cry, and she then gave her new husband-to-be “the biggest hug and kiss ever.”
Nelly And Ashanti’s Wedding
Not long after the news of their engagement came out, TMZ alleged that Ashanti and Nelly were actually already married.
According to public records seen by the outlet, their marriage date was listed as the 27th of December, 2023.
But they’re still planning to have a big wedding.
Ashanti has teased that she would like it to be somewhere tropical by the sea.
In July 2024, she and Nelly also welcomed their son, Kareem Kenkaide Haynes.
He’s her first child, and Nelly’s fifth.
