Here's What We Know About Nelly's Four Kids
Three Grammy Awards, nine Billboard Awards, and a $70 million net worth, per Celebrity Net Worth, yet Nelly's most prized possessions are his kids. The Texas-born rapper shares two children from a relationship with ex-girlfriend, Channetta Valentine. The former couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Chanelle Haynes in 1994 and son, Cornell Haynes III in 1999. Following the tragic death of his sister Jackie Donahue in 2005, Nelly expanded his brood by adopting his niece and nephew, Shawn and Sydney Thomas. "As bad as I felt and whatever I was going through, I can't imagine what they [Sydney and Shawn] were going through. It's one of those situations that you don't think about, it has to happen, that's what family does," he explained of his decision to People.
Through the years, Nelly, who is expecting a new baby with girlfriend Ashanti, has been open about raising his kids, often speaking on how he balances his music career with fatherhood. "It wasn't like I was Superman," the "Dilemma" rapper said to the. "Obviously, Nelly wasn't there every day, but whatever needed to be done. I was definitely there. I didn't miss graduation, I showed up for sporting events and whatever I could and a lot of times, I had to be the disciplinarian." But while the rapper might have been in the spotlight for a long time, not much is known about his brood. From their career choices to their relationship with Nelly, here's everything we know about Nelly's kids.
Two of Nelly's children share his love for music
When it comes to Nelly's first daughter, Chanelle Haynes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Like her famous father, Chanelle has picked up an interest in music, working as a writer for Nelly's record label, Derrty Entertainment. In 2020, Chanelle also released a new song, that her brother shared on Instagram. This proves that she in fact got her father's music genes. But not only is Chanelle following in her father's musical footsteps, but she also appears to have her father's knack for juggling many talents. "She's like her daddy, she's all over the place. She's a big girl now. She works on her music and she has a radio show up and coming real soon as well that she's getting ready to do," Nelly gushed during a 2020 appearance on "The Tamron Hall" show. Although not much is known of her personal life outside of being identified as Nelly's daughter, the singer has since welcomed a son named Ace and she's loud and proud about it, brandishing her Instagram bio with the notice "A mother first".
Like Chanelle, Shawn Thomas, a regular on Nelly's reality television show, "Nellyville," also previously pursued music. Though not much is known about his career choices at the time, these days, he is basking in the joys of fatherhood to his daughter, Mahalia. Nelly's son, Cornell Haynes III, also has "producer" listed in his Instagram bio.
Nelly shares a close bond with his kids
Though they are all well into adulthood, Nelly maintains a close bond with his kids. While on "The Real" in 2015, the rapper gave an insight into his relationship with them, and how he has managed to maintain it through the years. "We're the only generation of parents that we share the most with our kids," he shared. Describing their relationship as "buddies," the rapper revealed he does not mind sharing his clothes with his sons. "They're always in my closet and I dip down in their room and snatching hats," he added. Unsurprisingly, the rapper and his kids have similar interests and tastes.
It is also not uncommon to find the "Dilemma" rapper showing off his love for his brood online. In celebration of Chanelle's birthday in February 2022, Nelly shared a collage of photos on Instagram, featuring the father-daughter duo. "Wanna Say happy BDay to the original mini me my first born my baby girl forever.. Love you NANA," he captioned the photo. Similarly, back in 2017, Nelly had nothing but praise for his youngest son whom he described as "a respectful young man" in an Instagram post.
Outside of his successful career, Nelly clearly has his personal life on lockdown — just ask his kids, they would know.