Nelly entered his most recent long-term relationship with Shantel Jackson (Floyd Mayweather’s ex-girlfriend and fiancée) in 2014. The two dated for 7 years, and only announced their breakup in the summer of 2021. Meanwhile, the rapper has a total of four children, but only two of them are his biological children. They include a daughter named Chanelle Haynes and a son, Cornell Haynes III. Unfortunately, nothing is known about their mother. Nelly’s other two children, Sydney and Shawn, are his niece and nephew, whom he adopted after the death of their mother.
With the turn of the new Millenium, Cornell Iral Haynes Jnr. (a.k.a Nelly) has struck gold in his music career. Except for those who’ve followed his music seven years prior, he seemed like a lucky ‘dude’ out of nowhere. But they couldn’t have been more wrong. The Texas-born star had been into hip hop long before the American music industry got the slightest wind of him.
He began his career in 1993, and in the years that followed, the award-winning rapper would parlay his newfound fame into areas such as fashion, business, Hollywood, and other ventures that have kept him afloat over the last two decades.
There’s a lot more to know about the established rapper, and there’s no better way to find out than to sit back and allow us to walk you through the details of Nelly’s love life and relationships.
Who Was Nelly’s Girlfriend Shantel Jackson and How Did They Meet?
Although he is yet to walk down the aisle, Nelly has been into different relationships in the past. For a few years now, the rapper has been having a romantic relationship with American actress Shantel Jackson until they broke up in 2021. But how did these two meet?
It was the end of a four-year journey for Shantel Jackson and her lover Floyd Mayweather. After several speculations about a possible split, Jackson revealed in 2014 that they were parting ways.
While fans watched the fiasco between both lovers on social media, ears were up for the next woman Mayweather would be spotted with. Of course, the same went for Shantel Jackson. Except that there have been rumors about her cheating on her boxer lover, but the question remained, with who?
Well, that wasn’t a secret for too long. Giddy folks had spotted Jackson with hip hop star in several events. Finally, there was a face to the rumors. But that was only the beginning; the couple would endure their fair share of pelting from angry critics.
For Jackson, the aftershocks of her split from Mayweather had hardly subsided at the time. According to sources, the boxer had retrieved several expensive items he had gifted Jackson in the course of their love journey. Aside from a luxury car and other expensive pieces of jewelry, Mayweather demanded money, and the $5,000,000 engagement ring he’d given her earlier.
For Nelly, there were legal squalls from marijuana cases to allegations of rape. Then there are the media outbursts from other celebrities such as 50cent, who is, in a way, sympathetic to Mayweather. Nevertheless, the love birds have made it through thick and thin, keeping things normal and giving off an all-is-well impression through their social media handles.
How are They Faring Today?
From all indications, fans are hopeful that the rapper would find lasting love in Shantel Jackson. Unfortunately, that was not to be as the love birds broke up and called it quits in 2021.
Prior to their break up, over the last year or two, the beautiful diva has been sending out subliminal messages that scream “won’t you marry me already?” First, it was an Instagram post in 2016 featuring an elephant family of three, a father and mother with a baby elephant sprinting joyfully in front.
Another was when she tagged Nelly and herself “Mr. and Mrs. Adventure,” while they were vacationing in the Indonesian Island of Bali. Nelly seems to be absorbing all the pressure, and simply rooting for the best time to make their union official. When that happens, Shantel Jackson would naturally adopt his four children.
Although this was their first time together, both Nelly and Shantell have their individual dating history. For Nelly, it has been quite a journey dating back to 2000 when he dated the rapper, Eve. Their relationship lasted for three years before they went their separate ways. In 2002, Nelly reportedly had flings with Claudia Jordan, and former Destiny Child, Kelly Rowland.
In 2003, after breaking up with Eve, Nelly dated R&B star, Ashanti, from 2003 to 2014. So far, it has been the longest love relationship for the singer. Other women he has dated include Lashontae Heckard and Nicole Narain. Nelly also had flings with Karrine Steffans and Kat Stacks.
It’s now over between rapper Nelly and his longtime girlfriend Shantel Jackson
Meet Nelly’s Children and Family
For someone active in the love game for a long time, it’s quite surprising to find out that Nelly is yet to be married. Although Nelly has dated many women in the past, none of his relationships was able to translate into a marriage.
Nevertheless, the hip-hop star is already a father. He has a total of four children, but they’re not all his biological kids.
From 2014 to 2015, Nelly appeared in the reality TV show, Nellyville. The show revolves around Nelly’s music and acting career, as well as the challenges of raising his four children. This has led to many fans believing that Nelly is a father of four.
While that may be technically true, only two of those are his biological children. They include a daughter named Chanelle Haynes, born on February 27, 1994, and a son, Cornell Haynes III, who was born on March 2, 1999.
Chanelle took after her father as she is now a singer, songwriter, and reality TV star. Cornell, on the other hand, is an athlete playing for his school’s football team. So far, there are no sources bearing details about their mom.
His other two children, Sydney and Shawn, are his niece and nephew, whom he adopted after the death of their mom. While Sydney aspires to be a model someday, Shawn wants to follow in Nelly’s footsteps as a rapper. Together, they live in Eureka, Missouri.
