Nelly digs deep into his personal journey of love on his recently released track “Spin The Block.” The tune, which dropped at the end of June, belongs on the Grammy-winning rapper’s upcoming country-inspired album Heartland II, set for release at a later date.
“Spin The Block” dives into the real-life themes of Nelly’s relationship with Ashanti, 44, who he married in December 2023. The track finds the St. Louis genre-bending artist, 50, looking back to the couple’s earlier years when they parted ways and eventually reconnected to build a life together and reestablish their romance for the long haul.
“When we said goodbye (Goodbye) / Guess it wasn’t what we really meant (Mean it, mean it) / ‘Cause mile after mile (Eh) / I keep passin’ the places we’ve been (Uh) / Yeah, we kicked up some dust / And got stuck in some mud / But we got back to us in the end / Yeah, that look in your eyes / Looks like this old truck / Might be spinnin’ the block again,” Nelly sings throughout the chorus of the track.
“Spin The Block” offers slower-paced vibes and a waltzing beat. Nelly’s signature smooth vocals take charge throughout this sway-worthy ballad, making the tune an epic sing-along for listeners everywhere. While personal to Nelly, “Spin the Block” is highly relatable as the tune shares a universal message that second chances in love still do exist, and the one that got away sometimes ends up coming back after all.
For Nelly, that was the case, as he and Ashanti got their second chance to rekindle the flame that never truly burned out. The couple, who met in 2003 before the 45th Grammy Awards, had dating rumors swirling all the way back to that year, according to TODAY. The outlet also reports the two split in 2013 before finding their way back to one another in the fall of 2021. Now, the lovebirds are parents to a beautiful one-year-old boy named Kareem Kenkaide Haynes.
“I had to grow into the man I am now,” Nelly shared via a press release. “This song is for anyone lucky enough to get a second chance — especially with the person you thought you lost for good.”
One day after releasing “Spin The Block,” on June 26, Nelly and Ashanti debuted their new unscripted eight-episode docuseries on Peacock called Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together.
“Spin The Block” serves as the first single from Nelly’s Heartland II album, which will follow a similar concept to the artist’s eighth studio Heartland album, released via Columbia Records in 2021. The first installment of the country-inspired series featured guest appearances from Florida Georgia Line, Blanco Brown, BRELAND, Darius Rucker, Kane Brown, and more.“Spin The Block” also sets Nelly up for another potential smash country track following 2004’s “Over and Over” with Tim McGraw.
Nelly has a lot going on these days. Aside from new music and a new television show with Ashanti, he is in the middle of his Where the Part At 2025 World Tour featuring direct support from Ja Rule and Eve, as well as supporting acts Jermaine Dupri, Chingy, and Fabolous. The trek is scheduled to run through September.
