Nelly and Ashanti are not engaged

By: Yves Erwin Salomon

Superstars Nelly and Ashanti were rumored to have become engaged over the Christmas holiday, but the duo - who have tried their best to keep their relationship under wraps -- are not yet set for marriage. The rapper's representatives at Universal Records have issued a statement denying the rumors.

Nelly is currently working on his fifth album, which will be the follow-up to 2004's simultaneous releases, Sweat and Suit. Nelly reissued the project as one disc in 2005 as Sweatsuit.

While some artists refuse to say what songs or albums are their favorites, Nelly has always been clear that his favorite album was his 2000 debut set, Country Grammar. The rapper explained: "Well, it's different because the first album, Country Grammar, was the introduction, you know what I'm sayin'? It was the introduction, and Nellyville was more or less my project, as in...just explaining who I am and what I'm going through. This second project feels a little better, but Country Grammar is the biggest project that I'll ever do because that was the first."

In related news, Ashanti is also in the studio working on a new album. The project will be released through The Inc. Records but, unlike previous efforts, Irv Gotti hasn't been involved creatively.