Ashanti and Nelly are back together — take a look at their relationship timeline

Nelly and Ashanti have officially opened up their Chapter II.

The former hip-hop flames confirmed that they are giving their relationship a second chance. The couple dated for over a decade after meeting in 2003 at the Grammy Awards before ultimately parting ways.

For her part, Ashanti made waves during her appearance at the 2023 VMAs, where she appeared to confirm rumors of her relationship with the rapper on the red carpet.

The "Rain On Me" singer donned a sheer glittering gown that featured an exposed emerald bedazzled bustier ahead of the awards show. To round out the look, she carried a clutch that featured photo of her and Nelly from decades before.

Speaking to TODAY on the red carpet, the singer explained, "This is where we first exchanged numbers. I was like, 'Oh, this would be cute.'"

"Everything is lining up in the universe," she told TODAY. "So I'm happy."

Earlier, during a Sept. 12 appearance on Philo TV’s "Boss Moves With Rasheeda," Nelly confirmed with a big smile that he and old-time love Ashanti are dating again.

A Philo TV Instagram post shows the moment the 48-year-old rapper confirmed his relationship in his interview with the show's hosts, Rasheeda and Kirk Frost.

“Yeah. We cool again,” Nelly explained during the episode. “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.”

According to Nelly, stepping away from their relationship allowed them to process who they had become and understand each other more.

“Sometimes being separate, you understand one another more," he remarked before adding that time apart can also afford a person to view things from a different perspective. “We all can be defensive sometimes in our relationships and we know we wrong but we gonna stand on it."

The "Hot in Herre" rapper went on to note that he and Ashanti were in different places in their careers when they first got together.

"You know, before, I felt like both of us were doing what we're doing career-wise," he noted. "When you got so many people in the middle of it, it can be tough."

Here’s a timeline of their relationship.

2003 — Ashanti and Nelly meet at the start of their careers

In 2003, Ashanti and Nelly were already well into their early music careers.

By then, Ashanti — whose legal name is Ashanti Douglas — had appeared in Spike Lee’s 1992 movie “Malcolm X” (1992) and had contributed to the soundtrack for the 2001 blockbuster “The Fast and the Furious.” Her debut album “Ashanti” earned her various awards and ultimately sent her to the 2003 Grammy Awards.

There, she won Best Contemporary R&B Album and met Nelly.

Photos from an event for the awards show captured the moment 23-year-old Ashanti signed a paper for the rapper, who was then 29 years old.

At the event, Nelly — born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. — took home the Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group award for the song “Shake Ya Tailfeather.”

2007 — Ashanti and Nelly make music for the first time

Ashanti released her song “Switch” from her fourth album, “The Declaration.” The song is about “strutting” in heels and features Nelly.

2008 — The year they were in cahoots

A year after the release of “Switch,” Ashanti lent her vocals to Nelly’s hit “Body on Me.” She also appeared as a main character in the song’s music video. The song was dually produced for the singer’s album and Nelly’s fifth studio album, “Brass Knuckles.”

Not long after, Ashanti released her album “The Declaration.” A track on the album called “Good Good,” whose lyrics played heavily with innuendo, featured Nelly. The rapper appeared as a main character in the song’s music video.

That same year, a People magazine interview with the singer underscored how the couple’s “famously secretive” relationship captivated the public. Ashanti dodged questions that tried to confirm if they were or were not together.

“Me and Nelly, we’re good friends. We kick it — hang out a lot,” Ashanti, who was by then 27, offered instead. “The industry is very hard, so it’s good to have fun and lighten it up.”

When asked if the two had plans to marry, she reportedly held up her bare ring finger and said, “Oh no. Noooo! No engagement.”

Soon after, she added, “But definitely in the future.”

2014 — Ashanti dodges questions about her relationship with Nelly and cheating rumors

In an interview with “Sway in the Morning,” Ashanti described Nelly as her first love as an adult.

“Have me and Nellie seen each other since everything, all the dramatics, popped off? Absolutely,” she said at the time. “You know, it’s a very small industry... He’s going to be out. I’m gonna be out.”

Ashanti also confirmed during the interview that her new album at the time, “Braveheart,” which included songs about love and romance, was “a direct reflection to the past two years in my life.”

While promoting “Braveheart,” the singer appeared on “Hot 97” and admitted that she and the rapper spoke about having children. Though she sidelined questions about whether the rapper cheated, the singer did admit that their relationship produced some pain points.

“Things happen, you know,” she replied when asked if he had cheated. “People get hurt. People have resentment. People carry all things with them, you know, things just happen in real life.”

2022 — Ashanti says she knows about her fans love for her love with Nelly

The "What's Luv?" singer took to the chair cushions of "Watch What Happens Live" with Andy Cohen to share what was going on in her life. She also admitted to being amused by public investment in seeing her stir things up again with her old flame.

“My reaction was wow. It was a lot of comments and a lot of people wanting that. What I will say is we’re in a better place. You know, cause before, it was like,” she explained while miming fighting for effect. “But we’re cool now. Yeah, we have some conversations, you know. So it’s cool.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com