Japleen Khera
Nelly is the stage name used by Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., a renowned singer and a rapper who has produced numerous chart-topping hits since his debut album ‘Country Grammar’ in 2000. He made a breakthrough in his career with his first album taking the peak spot on the ‘Billboard 200’ list. He has even been awarded the greatest honor an artist in the music industry can dream of: a Grammy Award. In fact, he won two Grammy Awards consecutively in 2003 and 2004.
In 2010, his single ‘Just a Dream’ was certified triple platinum in the U.S., and the crooner was ranked as the number three Top Artist of the Decade (2000) by ‘Billboard’. His fans also recognized him for his performance in ‘The Longest Yard.’ The entertainer has been cast as a ‘star dancer’ on the hit American dance reality show “Dancing with the Stars” in 2020. An honest performer, Nelly has hit a few rock bottoms in his life including an alleged lawsuit but has not let the lows define him. Let us explore the intimate details of this successful artist and entrepreneur’s life!
Nelly’s Family
Nelly has chosen to keep his private life off the mainstream media but a lot of it got exposed when he appeared in a docuseries ‘Nellyville’ on BET in 2014. While not much is known about his parents or childhood, the viewers learned from the show that one of his two siblings died of Leukemia in 2005. Following the tragedy, Nelly took his sister Jackie Donahue’s two kids – Shawn AKA “Tab” and Sydney AKA “Stink” under his wing. His half-brother, Lavell Webb with a stage name City Spud, is also a rapper and record producer.
Nelly’s Girlfriend and Kids
In 2015, Nelly met Shantel Jackson while working in his famous reality show ‘Nellyville’ and they have been together ever since. She is an actress, known for her work in ‘Freelancers’ and ‘Here Without You.’ She officially announced their relationship after dating him for almost three and a half years. The rumors of their engagement floated around almost a year back but Nelly slammed them all. He told his fans that they needed more time before they could hear the wedding bells.
Nelly has been a single father to his daughter, Chanelle Haynes, 26, and son, Cornell AKA “Tre”, 21. His two kids are from different mothers and there identity has been hidden from public scrutiny. Shantel has also become an admirable mother figure in his children’s lives and Nelly often addresses her as “Mama”. She expresses how happy Nelly has made her and knows it in her heart that he would be an amazing father to their children.
Shantel has been by his side solid as a rock through his trying times. An anonymous plaintiff sued Nelly over an alleged sexual assault following a 2017 concert in England. She claims to have gone backstage to meet the star, but Nelly exposed himself and began masturbating in front of her before allegedly forcing his erect member inside her mouth. On this sensitive issue, Shantel defends him by saying that the couple was together on the tour bus on the day of the claimed assault. Nelly has always appreciated his lady having his back and the two seem at bliss together!
Read More: Rapper Nelly’s Net Worth
