Nelly is a Swiftie — and he had the wedding invitation to prove it.
In the trailer for the second season of Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together, released Thursday (Oct. 15), the rapper and his wife showcase themselves prepping for and heading to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s highly anticipated wedding, with Nelly making his fandom clear.
“We got invited to Taylor and Travis’ wedding. Nelly is a Swiftie,” the rapper says in the clip.
But before the couple set foot in Madison Square Garden, a little marital disagreement threatens to steal the spotlight. While on the way to the wedding, Ashanti realizes that Nelly has forgotten something for their outing. This causes a brief back-and-forth between the pair over a missing bottle of lotion.
“F—, babe, you didn’t put the lotion in here?” Ashanti says as she rummages through her purse. Nelly dislikes her dropping the F-bomb, but they carry on with their outing as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
The trailer gives audiences a glimpse into the couple’s relationship beyond the wedding festivities, with appearance from Fat Joe, Ja Rule and Jadakiss. Ashanti is also shown in the recording studio as she works on re-recording her masters, a move that connects her to a growing conversation about artists reclaiming ownership of their music — including, most famously, Swift herself.
Swift has been a very influential figure in that conversation. After the pop superstar embarked on her mission to rerecord her first six studio albums following the sale of her original masters, Ashtani spoke about being inspired by Swift’s example.
“I think Taylor is amazing for what she’s done and to be able to be a female in this very male-dominated industry, to accomplish that is amazing,” Ashanti told Metro UK in 2022. “More of us have to continue that narrative of women empowerment.”
Nelly and Swift also have a history. The rapper has joined the pop superstar onstage during her tours, fostering a connection between them that makes his Swiftie declaration all the more appropriate. In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Nelly described Swift as “like a little sister” and praised her potential to become one of the greatest female artist of all time.
Nelly has a chart history of his own to acknowledge as well. His 2002 smash “Hot in Herre” and his Kelly Rowland collaboration “Dilemma” both reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The latter, released in 2002 as well, became one of the most defining hits of his career, spending 10 weeks atop the chart. Ashanti has also made her mark on the Hot 100, scoring her first No. 1 as a solo artist with “Foolish” in 2002. That same year, she appeared on Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?” and Ja Rule’s “Always on Time,” both of which reached the chart’s top two.
Separate from music, the new season also follows Nelly and Ashanti as they steer through parenthood with their soon, Kareem, and decide how much of their family life they want to share publicly.
Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together returns to Peacock on Nov. 19. Watch the trailer below.
