Ashanti’s ex-boyfriend Joyner Lucas has revealed candid details about their private relationship — while wishing her well in her motherhood journey.
Lucas, 35, confirmed during a Tuesday, April 9, appearance on “The Jason Lee Show” that he dated the “Foolish” singer, 43, before she got back together with her current partner, Nelly.
“It was dope,” Lucas told host Jason Lee. “She’s a really dope person. She really is. She’s an amazing person.”
Lucas even gave a nod to Ashanti’s pregnancy news, which Us Weekly exclusively revealed in December.
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“She’s about to have a baby,” the rapper said. “I know how much she wanted to be a mom.”
In fact, Lucas said he knew all about Ashanti’s motherhood aspirations because the two had previously talked about starting a family themselves.
“I mean, we had those conversations,” Lucas revealed. “I wasn’t at a place in my life where I wanted that at that time. We talked about a lot of s—t.”
Lucas further explained that he couldn’t have “fulfilled” potential fatherhood duties at the time but insisted he’s “super proud” of Ashanti.
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“She’s gonna be an amazing mom,” he said. “I would tell her that all the time.”
As for how they kept their relationship a secret, Lucas said it just came naturally. “I don’t talk,” he told Lee. “I’m a private person.”
The specific timeline of their dating history is still murky, but the two are believed to have linked up after they collaborated on the song “Fall Slowly” in 2020. They were seen getting very cozy in the accompanying music video.
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Lucas acknowledged the eight-year age gap between him and his ex, saying, “I do feel like there’s something about older women that I gravitate towards.”
Still, he said the age difference between them wasn’t the driving force behind his desire to be with her.
“I just think it’s because older women understand certain s—t that young women don’t,” he continued. “It’s not even all about sex though. It’s like an intellectual level. I just feel like older women are just on a different level mentally. I’m not saying all older women, but I never looked at the age gap between me and Ashanti. I never really cared about that.”
A source exclusively told Us in December that Ashanti and Nelly, 49, are expecting their first baby together. Nelly also shares daughter Chanelle, 29, and son Cornell Haynes III, 24, with ex Channetta Valentine.
Ashanti and Nelly dated on and off from 2003 to 2013 before reconciling again in April 2023.
