In January 2003, Ashanti and Nelly connected for the first time during a 2003 Grammy Awards press conference. They took several photos together, including some in which Nelly was seen holding a piece of paper as Ashanti wrote something down for him.
In Nelly's "Behind the Music" special, which aired in 2011, Ashanti said the media took the photos out of context and thought the stars were exchanging numbers. "The first time I met Nelly he asked me for my autograph, but I think he was being sarcastic and I remember writing it down on the program," she recalled, per Rap-Up. "That picture has been in so many publications as something else but it all started out as a joke. For the record, it took him a long time to get my number."
