Rapper Nelly Arrested On Rape Charge: 5 Facts You Need To Know

Famed rapper Nelly was arrested early Saturday morning on allegations he raped a woman in the Seattle suburb of Auburn, Washington. Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., has denied the allegations, while his lawyer has sought a thorough investigation.

"Nelly is the victim of a completely fabricated allegation," Nelly's lawyer Scott Rosenblum said in a statement issued to TMZ. "Our initial investigation clearly establishes the allegation is devoid of credibility and is motivated by greed and vindictiveness. I am confident, once the scurrilous accusation is thoroughly investigated, there will be no charges."

Rosenblum added that "Nelly is prepared to pursue all legal avenues to redress any damage caused by this clearly false allegation."

Nelly is a Grammy-award winning artist and has recorded seven studio albums. He released his first album in 2000.

Nelly, 42, has two children with singer Ashanti. The couple reportedly had a 10-year relationship before splitting in December 2012.

The Incident Allegedly Occurred While He Was On Tour

Law enforcement claimed the incident allegedly occurred on Nelly's tour bus Saturday at 3:48 am, according to TMZ. The tour bus was reportedly parked in a Walmart parking lot. The alleged rape happened hours after Nelly finished performing at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn.

Nelly is currently on tour with country music duo Florida Georgia Line. The native of Austin, Texas, is scheduled to perform Saturday in Ridgefield, Washington.

Nelly Was Charged A Few Hours After The Alleged Crime

Nelly was taken in by local authorities on second-degree rape charges and remains in custody. There have been no reports as to whether he will be released on bail.

Nelly Has A Girlfriend

Nelly has been dating Shantel Jackson since 2014. The pair has shared many photos together on Instagram, which includes a picture Nelly posted two days before the alleged rape. "WCE..!!!!! Taste even better," the rapper captioned a photo Thursday that show's him affectionately biting on Jackson's cheek. Jackson also shared a photo on Instagram of Nelly holding her, saying, "One of our first pics."

Jackson's Instagram posting shows that she attended the show Friday.

Nelly Has Been Arrested Before

Nelly was arrested by the Putnam County Sheriff's Department in Cookeville, Tennessee, in April 2015 on felony possession of drugs, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Tennessee Highway Patrol had pulled over his tour bus because it didn't have the required Department of Transportation and Fuel Tax Association stickers. The officer quickly discovered drugs, drug paraphernalia and weapons in the bus. Nelly was released the following day on bail.

Fans Are Mostly Defending Nelly On Twitter

Nelly has quickly become a trending topic on Twitter. Many fans, however, have quickly come to his defense, with several referring to the alleged victim as a "liar."

Many Twitter users echoed one fan's thoughts, in that they "refuse to believe Nelly is a rapist." Fans similarly echoed the sentiment of another user, who said: "Nelly raped no woman. Shes clearly a liar."

There were users, however, that criticized fans who defended the rapper's alleged actions.

"Those of y'all who are already slandering nelly's accuser should know that you're contributing to rape culture at one of the worst extents," one user wrote in a tweet.