Nelly and Ashanti made the St. Louis rap star’s Black and White Ball memorable for more than their pregnancy rumors, also adding a Ja Rule impression into the mix.
On Sunday (December 3), the reunited couple performed at the charity gala, and Nelly subbed for Ja when Ashanti performed the 2002 classic “Mesmerize.”
Nelly did a very convincing impression of the Murder Inc. rapper on the second single taken from Ja’s fourth studio album, 2002’s The Last Temptation.
Check it out below:
In addition to mimicry, the party also made news because some observers took the celebrity couple’s behavior as a hint that they’re expecting.
In a clip from the gala, Nelly and Ashanti — who confirmed several months ago that they were dating — can be seen onstage together. Both of them rub Ashanti’s stomach, and Nelly appears to be laughing while doing so.
Notably, some of this rubbing came in response to the event emcee’s exhortation that the celebrity couple should “seal the deal.”
All of this led many online to speculate that Ashanti was pregnant with the couple’s child. “Nelly done knocked up Ashanti,” wrote one observer, while another added: “Ashanti and Nelly is pregnant. I love for that them!”
“Ashanti and Nelly having a baby or they trolling,” a third person speculated, while someone else said: “Nelly got Ashanti pregnant .. Bul a legend.”
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Nelly’s Black and White Ball was held in St. Louis this year for the first time since 2016. It took place at the Four Seasons Hotel.
The event raised money for scholarships for Harris Stowe State University, and also for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Wishes were granted for local families, including one with three children who all have sickle cell disease.
“Make-A-Wish is the best,” Nelly told local outlet KSDK. “I mean listen, we all have our personal foundations. But when you think about Make-A-Wish…, what could be better? And they’ve done such phenomenal work for who knows how many years, and they’ve always welcomed Nelly, and we’ve always worked well together.”