Well, we did not have this one on our related rappers bingo card. Nelly and Sexyy Red dropped a bombshell during a recent radio interview – the two St. Louis artists are actually cousins.
The surprising family connection came to light during Sexyy Red’s appearance on Big Boy’s radio show, when Nelly made an unexpected guest appearance. The “SkeeYee” rapper immediately turned to the hip-hop icon to settle a debate about their relationship.
“This is my real blood cousin. People don’t believe we’re cousins,” Sexyy Red insisted. Nelly responded with his signature charm, joking “We’re all cousins,” but the rising star wasn’t having it.
She recounted how someone at the radio station had doubted their connection just moments before: “Someone at the front desk said we weren’t cousins, like I didn’t know you. He was talking about, ‘We’re going to meet Nelly.’ I said, what do you mean, meet him? That’s my cousin. I already know him.”
What’s more, while the exact nature of their family ties remains unclear, the two artists have been proudly representing their shared St. Louis roots. They recently appeared together at the 2025 iHeartRadio Awards, where Nelly received the prestigious Landmark Award from his wife Ashanti. That same night, Sexyy Red brought the house down with a fiery performance of her hit “Whatchu Kno About Me” alongside GloRilla.