Nas and Kelis’ Divorce Confirmed

April 30, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
VIBE EXCLUSIVE: Nas and Kelis’ Divorce Confirmed

Keith Murphy

Email this article Print this article Send us a tip

The hip hop couple call it quits UPDATE: A look at the divorce papers

One of hip hop’s most talked about married couples have split. VIBE has confirmed that Nas and Kelis are headed for a divorce. “I can confirm that she has filed for divorce,” a spokesperson for Kelis told VIBE. “We request the media to respect her privacy during this very difficult time.” At around 3:45pm PST, high-powered attorney Laura Wasser (who has also represented Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, and Stevie Wonder) filed a divorce petition today on behalf of Kelis, citing irreconciable differences. The bombshell comes amid recent reports that the acclaimed rhymer and influential R&B vixen were expecting their first child together—a son. Kelis is currently seven months pregnant.

It was only last February when Nas spoke excitedly to MTV about the prospect of having a baby with Kelis. “Yeah, man, I find out what it's gonna be next week, so I'm happy," said the multiplatinum rapper, who also has a 15-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Nas and Kelis first met in 2002 at a MTV Video Music Awards afterparty thrown by hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. “I wasn’t going to go, but I’m glad I did,” Nas told VIBE in June 2003. “Then at the afterparty, I met my girl.” Kelis remembered the meeting with her future husband vividly: “Everyone moves out of the way, and Nas stands up, and I put my hand out, and I’m like, Hey, I’m Kelis. And he goes, ‘Who?’… So I’m crawling into a fucking hole, and he’s like, ‘Wait-huh? What’s your name? And I’m like, Kelis, and he’s like, ‘Oh, well that’s great, because I’ve been waiting to make you my wife all these years.’” When Nas told her of his bold marital plans, she replied in typical Kelis form. “That’s great, because that’s all I wanna be.”

After dating for two years, the pair married in a small ceremony in Atlanta on July 28, 2003. Their relationship even sparked artistic collaborations, with Nas appearing on Kelis’ sensual single "In Public," featured on her 2003 release Tasty (Star Trak/Arista). Kelis returned the favor on the Queensbridge, N.Y., MC’s controversial 2006 work Hip Hop Is Dead (Def Jam) on “Not Going Back.” Yet, since March of 2008, rumors of the couple separating have been circulating on the Web. Nas’ spokesperson could not be reached for comment.