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Nelly and Ashanti have everyone smiling. Their rekindled romance is a love story we all want to hear (and cheer on). Their affection toward each other makes us gush. And their friendship is infectious.
But does their love say something about spinning the block in relationships that we should take to the group chat?
Since the two officially announced they were an item again, they’ve shared intimate moments and brought us along for some. We’ve watched them celebrate birthdays: Ashanti on October 13 and Nelly, more recently, on November 2. We’ve seen them in tour buses, in their friends’ social media stories, and kicking it in the club. And we’ve read all the comments and quotes the Black couple has said about each other.
Like this one, Nelly said to Rasheeda and Kirk Frost on Boss Moves With Rasheeda when confirming his relationship with the sexy songstress. “We cool again. I think it surprised both of us, though. It wasn’t anything that was, like, I don’t think planned. I think we both was pretty much doing what we do. But sometimes, being separate, you understand one another more.”
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It’s a well-known fact that the culture is invested. And social media is abuzz with support for the two and well wishes for the future of their relationship.
Do some Black couples need to break and “spin the block” to get it right?
Also amid support for the music duo are discussions on whether time apart – like in the case of Ashanti and Nelly – is needed to make a relationship work. Like most pop culture topics, everyone has an opinion. There are thought pieces and podcast debates galore.
But with many Black people still wanting to be married, while being the “most unmarried racial/ethnic group in the United States,” the dialogue has validity. Is there something to taking a break and then “spinning the block” that can make a relationship succeed? Is this the love panacea?
Nelly and Ashanti are the “it couple” of the moment, but there are others who have taken a similar path. We are rooting for them all.
From Summer Walker and Lil Meech to Toni Braxton and Birdman to Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, here are celebrities who’ve spun the block for love.
1. Summer Walker and Lil Meech
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Summer Walker and Lil Meech are sparking reconciliation rumors as recent as this week after splitting in July. Summer accused Lil Meech of infidelity at the time.
On November 4, however, the songstress took to her Instagram stories posting photos of Lil Meech kissing her on the cheek and the two in matching outfits. While their romance has been short – the two reportedly hooked up in April – it has also been a roller coaster.
The cute couple made headlines after videos surfaced of the young actor leaving another woman’s apartment. Summer went on social media saying she couldn’t deal with “cheating stuff.“
2. Toni Braxton and Birdman
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Birdman and Toni Braxton are a match we didn’t know we needed, but now we can’t live without. After 17 years of friendship, the two started dating in 2016. Toni confirmed their union on Braxton Family Values and other shows.
By 2018, Toni and the rapper were engaged but then moved their wedding date several times and went silent. During the silence rumors of infidelity and their separation spread, but on November 6 Toni dropped a picture on Instagram confirming the two are still together.
“Sending Sunday kisses,” she writes.
3. Careesha “Yung Miami” Brownlee and Sean “Diddy” Combs
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Yung Miami and Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs are an on-again-off-again couple that seem to always be working to get it right. The two are rumored to have started dating in 2021 but then declared their “non-committal” relationship over this April.
The two then sparked “rekindling” rumors when they opened up about their sex life in September. Yung Miami’s most recent Instagram birthday post for the Bad Boy Boss added fuel to the relationship fire.
She wrote, “There’s no other place I’d rather be! I love to rock with you🤍.”
4. Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade
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Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are a couple not afraid of the limelight – or of an open conversation about their relationship. The two first met in 2007 while hosting a Super Bowl party and became official in 2009.
The two reportedly took a break in 2013 “when they couldn’t make their schedules work.” During this time, Dwyane fathered his son, Xavier, with Basketball Wives star Aja Metoyer.
Dwyane recalls conversations with his fashionable now wife during the time, saying, “I tried to pussyfoot around it, I tried to break up with her. ‘Hey, things have been bad lately,’ ‘Hey, we’ve been having a little distance in our relationship anyway,’ I tried all of that. She kept showing up. I couldn’t have gotten through that moment without her sticking with me. We were in the playoffs. That was a rough time for me. You got a lot on your mind. You’re keeping something from people you love. It’s heavy.”
5. Cardi B and Offset
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News reports say Cardi B and Offset ended their relationship in 2020. But the two later reconciled in 2021 and have been going strong. But this wasn’t the first time since the two experienced relationship “rockiness,” and it wouldn’t be the last.
The “BONGOS” rapper and Migos member reportedly started dating in 2016 and secretly got married in 2017. Their relationship has been filled with ups and downs, cheating rumors, and controversy.
In 2023, Cardi and Offset seemed to address rumors with their joint song, “Jealousy.” And Cardi told fans she’d “kill for her man” excitedly in a video after being surprised with an adorable flower-balloon birthday display.
6. Chrissy and Jim Jones
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Though Chrissy Lampkin and Jim Jones have been a long-time couple, they became one to watch after reality TV’s Love & Hip Hop. On the show, Jim seemingly proposed to Chrissy (after she proposed to him), and the culture got invested. But the two never got married and seem to have moved on from making it “aisle” official.
The two are a Harlem love story, who met at a club in Miami. Chrissy and Jim have frequently discussed their relationship on social media and reality shows, noting struggles, break ups, and reconciliations.
Speed up to now, Chrissy and Jim Jones keep their relationship status private. Chrissy did, however, share a cute picture of her and her beau on Instagram in January, and reports say they are still together.
7. NeNe and Gregg Leakes
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Real Housewives of Atlanta fans got to know the ups and downs of NeNe and Gregg Leakes for many seasons. The couple wed in 1997, and by the time NeNe was added to the RHOA, their relationship was central to the blonde bombshell’s storyline.
NeNe and Gregg got divorced in 2011 and then engaged again in 2013. While some debated that the divorce was just for a RHOA storyline, the two thrived on and off camera.
