REKINDLED FLAME: Ashanti & Nelly All Boo'd Up at the Black Ball

It’s spin the block season! Ashanti and Nelly reunited once again and seemingly made it official during Atlanta’s annual Black Ball with matching ‘fits and lots of hand holding. See the early 2000s lovebirds on date night inside… While they haven’t officially confirmed their reunion, it’s clear Ashanti and Nelly are back ON after breaking up a decade ago. The dynamic duo turned heads as they stepped out together at the illustrious 3rd annual birthday ball hosted by Quality Control Music CEO, Pierre "P" Thomas, dubbed the Black Ball, in Atlanta. Sporting matching ensembles, the R&B songbird stunned in a heavily embellished gown, while the St. Louis rapper rocked a sleek black suit adorned with a patterned vest that flawlessly complemented the "Foolish" singer's attire. Fueling the speculation, producer Jermaine Dupri shared a fun clip of himself and the reunited couple having fun in an elevator. Ashanti also hit the stage to flex her vocals on her and Fat Joe's hit record "What's Luv?" Swipe through the clips below:         View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by TheYBF (@theybf_daily) Among the star-studded guests in attendance were the likes of City Girls rappers Yung Miami and JT, NeNe Leakes, Jacob Lattimore, Teyana Taylor, Phaedra Parks, Miguel, Quavo, and a constellation of other notables. Per usual, Teyana slayed:         View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by TheYBF (@theybf_daily) Nelly and Ashanti's coupledom appearance at the Black Ball comes two weeks after the singer brought the "Country Grammar" rapper out as a surprise guest during her show with Ja Rule at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.         View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Lindsay Feldman (@lindsay_feldman) Ashanti and Nelly performed their throwback classic, “Body On Me,” and they def gave fans a show. Swipe to see the clips above. Before that…         View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by TheYBF (@theybf_daily) The couple’s hand-holding rendezvous in Las Vegas back in April first sparked rumors that they were back together. They were spotted en route to watch the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia boxing match. Towards the end of last year, during an interview, Ashanti hinted at a positive shift in her relationship with her former flame, saying, "We're in a better place. You know, 'cause before, it was like [mimics fighting]. But we're cool now. Yeah, we have some conversations, you know. So it's cool," revealing a glimmer of hope for their rekindled connection on "Watch What Happens Live" with Andy Cohen. And a month before that, both Nelly and Ashanti were onstage during Fat Joe & Ja Rule's VERZUZ Battle, where the rapper made a beeline to her and whispered something in her ear. The Grammy winning singer and the Grammy winning rapper were in a relationship for 10 years before they called it quits in 2013. While the songstress was previously linked to Murder Inc. honcho Irv Gotti, she clarified in an interview with Angie Martinez that they were never in a relationship. She even candidly shared her experience of feeling pressured into an extramarital affair by her former boss. In 2022, Irv released a documentary titled “The Murder Inc Story,” in which he made various claims about Ashanti, including accusing her of abandoning ship when he faced legal troubles. Setting the record straight, she asserted, "Irv has flat-out lied about a lot of things. And the crazy thing is, when we were in a good space, a positive space – pillow talk is a dangerous thing. There are so many things that I know. [But] I don't have the desire to expose certain things. I operate at a different vibration than him. I don't play in the mud." If Nelly and Ashanti are indeed giving their love story another chance, we can only hope that this time around, the stars align in their favor, bringing them the happiness they deserve. Photo: lev radin/Shutterstock