Nelly And Ashanti Enjoy ‘Loving’ Date Night At His Annual Charity Ball (Exclusive)

Nelly and Ashanti know how to have a good time.

The couple stepped out on Sunday, December 15, for Nelly’s annual Black and White Charity Ball at the Four Seasons Hotel in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

“They were playful and loving and told everyone what a good baby KK is,” a source tells PEOPLE exclusively of the new parents, adding that their son “lights up when he’s around his dad.”

At one point in the evening, Ashanti, 44, joined Nelly, 50, on stage to perform her 2002 hit “What’s Luv.” Then they sang Ashanti’s “Baby” and changed the lyrics to “we made a baby, baby, baby, baby, baby.”

“Make some noise for my damn beautiful wife,” he said on stage.

During the evening, Nelly raised money for Make-A-Wish, granted a 14-year-old’s wish by gifting him a brand new home theater system, and awarded another Harris-Stowe State University student a scholarship.

The “Hot in Here” rapper also got a key to the city with St. Lunatics. In response to the honor, he teased a festival in collaboration with Metro Boomin taking place in 2025.

More prom guests included Ne-Yo, Metro Boomin, Jermaine Dupri, Bow Wow, Jordan Binnington, Oli Marmol, Masyn Winn, J-Kwon, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City, Slo’Down, Blanco Brown, Isaac Keys, Polow Da Don, Richard Fortus, Sydney Thomas, Connor Perry, Jim Edmonds, Orlando Pace and more.

In November, the couple caught up with PEOPLE on their lives as new parents to son Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, whose arrival was announced in August via Instagram.

“It’s amazing,” Ashanti said of having KK in their lives. “He’s a blessing. He’s an angel. My life is amazing right now. I’m super blessed, so happy. I’m madly in love with him.”

Reflecting on how his personality blossomed, Ashanti said he definitely “has father’s temperament.”

“When the bottle isn’t ready—oh, man,” she said.

The Grammy Award winners first announced they were expecting their first child together in an Instagram video shared in April. The “Stupid” singer also shared the news Essence soon after, revealing not only that she was pregnant, but that she and Nelly were engaged.

“This new year in my life is such a blessing full of love, hope and anticipation,” Ashanti told the paper. “Motherhood is something I’ve been looking forward to and sharing this with my family, fiancé and loyal fans who have been so supportive of my career is an amazing experience.”

The couple tied the knot on Dec. 27, 2023, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE in June.