Kelis told Hollywood Unlocked that the couple met in 2002 when she was 22; Nas was nearly 6 years her senior. The two crossed paths at a MTV Video Music Awards after party hosted by Diddy when the “Stillmatic” rapper approached the up-and-coming musician with an unforgettable pick-up line.
“What’s your name again,” Nas asked Kelis at the event, as she recalled in a 2003 interview with Complex. When Kelis told him, the Queens native said, “I had to make sure, because … I’ve been wanting to make you my wife for years.” It turns out the Harlem-born singer had been crushing on him, too. Her response? “That’s great, ’cause that’s what I wanna be.”
In the same profile, Kelis explained that the two took their time getting to know each other and kept a low profile. Kelis told the magazine that Nas proposed in front of her friends and family at her mother’s house on Christmas Eve in 2002.
“She’s my best friend,” Nas told Complex. “To get married now, it’s only right.”
The musical couple wed in 2005 in Atlanta, Georgia, according to The Source. “Grown-Ish” star Yara Shahidi, cousin to Nas, served as the flower girl for the nuptials (via Essence). Unfortunately as time went on, their happily-ever-after dreams of a loving, sustainable marriage didn’t come true.
