While selling their new Peacock actuality collection, Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together, the couple made a cease at Cocoa Butter, the place an off-the-cuff recreation become an surprising second of nostalgia and admiration. Asked to decide on his favourite music from Ashanti’s catalog, Nelly bypassed the anticipated hits in favor of “Baby,” her 2002 deep minimize. The alternative stunned many—and delighted Ashanti.

During the section, the St. Louis rapper stored the tone gentle, jokingly confirming, “Larenz Tate was in that video, right?” in reference to the visuals for “Rain on Me.” But whilst the sport unfolded in good enjoyable, Nelly’s picks started to disclose one thing extra private. In a collection of bracket-style face-offs, “Baby” constantly emerged victorious over tracks like “Happy,” “Rock Wit U,” and “Rain on Me.” When pressed on his desire, Nelly remarked, “‘Rain on Me’ represented a different stage in our relationship. We’ll just set ‘Rain on Me’ aside and stick with ‘Baby.’”

Nelly Stands by ‘Baby’—Choosing Love Over Hits

The matchup finally pitted “Baby” towards Ashanti’s high-profile collaborations with Ja Rule, together with “Always on Time” and “Mesmerize.” Still, Nelly stood agency. “All of these are fantastic tracks, but ‘Baby’ is my ride-or-die, so I’m going to stick with ‘Baby,’” he mentioned.

His choose took on deeper that means in gentle of their latest journey as mother and father. “Being a Scorpio man, I stay true to what I love, and that’s ‘Baby,’” Nelly added with a smile. Originally launched on Ashanti’s self-titled debut, “Baby” was produced by Irv Gotti and Chink Santana, sampling Scarface’s “Mary Jane.” The observe peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stays beloved, partly resulting from a standout music video that featured actress Nia Long.

Now airing on Peacock, We Belong Together affords a extra intimate have a look at the couple’s life, mixing their shared historical past in music with a renewed chapter of affection, parenting, and partnership. The collection premiered on June 26.