Fat Joe is proudly stepping into his new role as “Uncle Joe” for Ashanti and Nelly’s baby boy, Kareem Kenkaide, born on July 18, 2024. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE before hosting the BET Hip Hop Awards 2024, the 54-year-old rapper expressed his admiration for Ashanti, calling her “the best mom in the world.”
“I am Uncle Joe, and she is the best mom in the world,” Fat Joe remarked about the Grammy-winning singer. He went on to describe the newborn as “beyond beautiful,” comparing him to boxing legend Muhammad Ali. “When they let you see that baby — like Muhammad Ali, that baby.”
Kareem Kenkaide has captured the hearts of his parents, with a representative for the couple stating, “The proud and happy parents are so in love with KK!” Fat Joe, who has collaborated with Ashanti on hits like the 2002 classic “What’s Luv?”, is overjoyed about the new addition to their lives. “I just kept bragging for like a week to every random person I met. I was like, ‘Her baby’s crazy.’ Yo, he’s so beautiful,” he shared. “God bless this baby. I’m just done. Nelly and Ashanti — you know, they are beautiful. I’m telling you, this baby is different; he’s like royalty.”
As a father of three himself, Fat Joe emphasized that he wouldn’t offer any parenting advice to the new parents, as he believes they have everything under control. He praised Ashanti’s strong family support system, noting, “Ashanti has a real tight family, though. I think one of the reasons why she never got destroyed by this business is because she’s always had her mother, her sisters, around her father.”
Fat Joe also humorously noted that Ashanti’s close-knit family might have hindered her dating life in the past. “I used to tell her when she was single, I’d be like, ‘Yo sis. You know why you’re single?’ She’d be like, ‘Why?’ and I’d say, ‘It’s because you go on a date with your mother, your father, your sister. Like how you want a guy to even talk sweet talk to you in front of them?’”
Despite the playful banter, Fat Joe assured fans that Ashanti and Nelly are well-equipped for parenthood. “I’m not worried about any parenting issues over there because that family, they’re with each other through thick and thin. No matter what. It’s just a beautiful family,” he concluded.
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