He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and
signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly made
his solo debut in 2000 with Country Grammar, the title track of which
was a top ten hit. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and
went on to peak at #1. Country Grammar is Nelly's best-selling album
to date, selling over 8.4 million copies in the United States.[1]
His following album, Nellyville, produced the number-one hits "Hot
in Herre" and "Dilemma" featuring Kelly Rowland. Other
singles included "Work It" featuring Justin Timberlake, "Air
Force Ones" featuring Murphy Lee and the St. Lunatics, "Pimp
Juice", and "#1".
With the same-day dual release Sweat and Suit (2004) and the compilation
Sweatsuit (2006), Nelly continued to generate many chart-topping
hits. Sweat debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart,
selling 342,000 copies in its first week. On the same week of release,
Suit debuted at number one selling around 396,000 copies in its first
week on the same chart. Nelly's fifth studio album, Brass Knuckles,
was released on September 16, 2008 after several delays. It produced
the singles "Party People", featuring Fergie, "Stepped
on My J'z" and "Body On Me", featuring Akon and Ashanti.
In 2010, Nelly released the album 5.0. The lead single, "Just
a Dream", has appeared in the top ten of several singles charts
and were certified platinum in the United States. The second single
is "Move That Body" featuring T-Pain and Akon. "Gone" is
the sequel to Nelly's 2002 worldwide number one single "Dilemma",
also with Rowland, and serves as third single from Nelly's album.
He won Grammy Awards in 2003 and 2004 and had a supporting role
in the 2005 remake film The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler and Chris
Rock. He has two clothing lines, Vokal and Apple Bottoms. He has
been referred to by Peter Shapiro as "one of the biggest stars
of the new millennium",[2] and the RIAA ranks Nelly as one of
the best-selling male artists in American music history,[3] with
21 million albums sold in the United States.On December 11, 2009,
Billboard ranked Nelly the #3 Top Artist of the Decade.
Nelly was born in Austin, Texas, where his father was serving in
the military. When he was seven, his parents divorced.[5] Nelly moved
with his mother from inner city St. Louis to suburban University
City, Missouri as a teenager. While still in high school, Nelly formed
the St. Lunatics, who enjoyed local popularity with their single "Gimme
What Ya Got". When a major record deal failed to appear, Nelly
decided to go solo.[6] He was soon signed to Universal Music Group,
which released his major label debut Country Grammar in 2000. The
success of its title track as a single (#7 on the Hot 100 and #1
Hot Rap Tracks) led to the album debuting at number three in the
Billboard 200 in the U.S. Other singles from the album included "E.I.", "Ride
Wit Me", and "Batter Up".[6] The album was certified
9× platinum by the RIAA on April 27, 2004.[7]
2002–03: Nellyville
In 2002, Nelly's second album Nellyville was released, debuting
at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Music Albums;[8] its lead single "Hot
in Herre" was a number-one hit. Other singles included "Dilemma" featuring
Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child, "Work It" featuring Justin
Timberlake, "Air Force Ones" featuring Murphy Lee and the
St. Lunatics, "Pimp Juice", and "#1".[6] This
album was highly successful and was certified 6x multi-platinum on
June 27, 2003.[9] "Hot in Herre" won the Grammy Award for
Best Male Rap Solo Performance in 2003.[10] In 2003 Nelly released
Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention. It featured the hit single "Iz
U" from the soundtrack to Walt Disney's The Haunted Mansion.
The music video of a Tip Drill Remix became a source of controversy
due to perceptions of misogynistic depictions of women. The controversy
forced Nelly to cancel an appearance at a bone marrow drive at Spelman
College, an historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia.[11] Similar
claims of misogyny also surrounded Nelly's single "Pimp Juice".[12]
RIAA have certified the album Platinum. For the Bad Boys II soundtrack
album, Nelly contributed the single "Shake Ya Tailfeather" featuring
P. Diddy and Murphy Lee. Another number-one hit, "Shake Ya Tailfeather" won
the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.[10]
2004–05: Sweat and Suit
On September 14, 2004, Nelly released two albums, Sweat and Suit.
Suit, an R&B-oriented album, debuted at number one on the Billboard
albums chart, and Sweat, a rap-oriented album, debuted at number
two. From Suit, the slow ballad "Over and Over", an unlikely
duet with country music star Tim McGraw, became a crossover hit.[13]
On the 2004 NBC television concert special Tim McGraw: Here and Now,
McGraw and Nelly performed the song.[14] A feud with another St.
Louis-based rapper, Chingy, came up near the end of the year.[15]
Tsunami Aid: A Concert for Hope, a 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake benefit
concert special produced by NBC, featured Nelly.[16] In the winter
of 2005 came Sweatsuit, a compilation of tracks from Sweat and Suit
with three new tracks. "Grillz", produced by Jermaine Dupri,
was a number-one hit. To date both albums have sold over 5 million
units in the United States.
2008: Brass Knuckles
Brass Knuckles was released on September 16, 2008, after several
delays,[17] Initial release dates for the album targeted October
16[18] and November 13.[19] Its original lead single was "Wadsyaname",
a ballad-oriented track produced by Ron "NEFF-U" Feemstar
and sampling the piano riff from "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo.[18][19]
Nelly later confirmed that "Wadsyaname" was never going
to be on 'Brass Knuckles'. Nelly recorded Party People",[18]
featuring Fergie and produced by Polow da Don, which turned out to
be his first official single off the album."[17] Stepped On
My J'z" was the next single, produced by Jermaine Dupri and
featuring Dupri and Ciara; following that was "Body On Me",
produced by Akon and featuring Akon and Ashanti. Nelly appeared on
Rick Ross's third single "Here I Am" also featuring label
mate Avery Storm.
2009–present: 5.0
In the summer of 2009, Nelly made a public announcement in Las Vegas
about the yet-to-be-titled album.[20] In October 2009, Nelly did
an interview with SOHH.com and said that the album was going to be
released sometime in 2010.[20] In a interview with Semtex TV, Nelly
told reporters that he planned to release the album under the name
Nelly.[21] In April 2010, Nelly's cousin Michael Johnson was murdered
in Missouri, Nelly said that he delayed releasing the album because
of this.[22] Guests featured on the album were, T-Pain, Chris Brown,
Akon, Plies, T.I., Kelly Rowland, Birdman, DJ Khaled, Avery Storm
and Diddy-Dirty Money.[23] In May 2010, Nelly confirmed that the
title of the album was 5.0.[24] The album is scheduled to be released
on November 16, 2010.[25] The album's lead single "Just a Dream" was
released on August 17, 2010, through iTunes[26] along with the promotional
single "Tippin' In da Club".[27] The two songs were released
to Mainstream and Rhythm/Crossover radio on August 10, 2010.[28] "Just
a Dream" made its first chart appearance debuting on the US
Billboard Hot 100 at number twelve and peaking at number 3 in its
fourth week. The song also debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Digital
Songs chart, selling 888,000 downloads in its first week.[29][30] "Just
a Dream" is Nelly's highest-charting song since his 2005 single "Grillz" and
debuted at number 7 on the Billboard Rap Songs. The song entered
the Canadian Hot 100 in August 2010, at number thirty-two[31] It
debuted in Australia (ARIA Charts) on the Singles Chart at number
3,[32] in New Zealand Singles Charts at number twenty-nine, and in
Switzerland (Media Control AG) at number fifty-two. The second single "Move
That Body", which features T-Pain and Akon, was released on
October 12, 2010.[33] The song made its first chart appearance debuting
on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number fifty-four and has reached
a current peak at number twenty-nine in Australia.[34][35] Nelly
is featured on the second single by singer Mohombi titled "Miss
Me", produced by RedOne. On November 13, 2010 Nelly appeared
on the Pacquiao vs. Margarito pay-per-view, at the Cowboys Stadium
in Arlington, Texas.[36] "Gone" is the sequel to Nelly's
2002 worldwide number one single "Dilemma", also with Rowland,
and serves as third single from Nelly's album.
Artistry
Rapping technique
Nelly’s rapping style has been described by Peter Shapiro
as using "unforgettable hooks based on schoolyard songs, double-dutch
chants, and nonsense rhymes"[2] and has a "Missouri twang".[37]
Allmusic suggests Nelly's style is based largely on where he comes
from - "Nelly's locale certainly informs his rapping style,
which is as much country as urban, and his dialect as well, which
is as much Southern drawl as Midwestern twang".[6] Nelly explains
his method of writing in the book How to Rap, describing how he freestyles
most of the lyrics before going back over them to "make it a
little tighter",[38] he generally writes in the studio rather
than at home,[39] he normally comes up with a chorus for a song before
writing the verses,[40] and he likes to write to the music he will
be rapping over.[41] Allmusic also notes his "tongue-twisting" hooks,
which are also often sung rather than rapped.[42] Nelly began listening
to artists like Rakim, LL Cool J, Run–D.M.C., Outkast, Goodie
Mob and Jay-Z. He became convinced that his gift for rap could be
parlayed into a career. He has his own style of rap which he likes
to describe as a jazz form of hip hop.
Other ventures
Endorsements, business ventures and philanthropy
Nelly and Allen Iverson.
Nike and Nelly agreed on a one-year deal in 2003 to release a limited-edition
sneaker called the "Air Derrty" which was a retro remake
of Charles Barkley's signature sneaker.[43] Nelly later signed a
shoe deal with Reebok.[44] Nelly has done ads for Got Milk and the
Ford Motor Company. His energy drink Pimp Juice sold one million
cans during the first two months after its introduction in August
2003, and was criticized for its name by black consumer activists.[45]
Nelly owns Apple Bottoms, a female clothing line, and Vokal, which
caters to men. He was one of the owners of the Charlotte Bobcats,
along with Robert L. Johnson and Michael Jordan until Jordan became
the new owner in March 2010.[46]
Nelly has played the Main Event at the 2007 World Series of Poker.[47]
He has also played The PokerStars European Poker Tour and PokerStars
Caribbean Adventure.[48] In August, 2010, Nelly started a temporary
stint as the afternoon host on WHHL HOT 104.1 in St. Louis. He is
taking the place of regular PM drive personality, Stacy Static, who
is on pregnancy leave.
According STLtoday, the initial ratings for the show are very high.
This gig garnered national attention in the Huffington Post and other
websites. On September 28, 2010, Nelly is releasing a fitness DVD
entitled Celebrity Sweat, walking viewers through various exercises
and weight training techniques.[49]
Nelly runs the non-profit organization "4Sho4Kids Foundation." The "Jes
Us 4 Jackie" campaign began in March 2003 by Nelly and his sister
Jackie Donahue after Donahue was diagnosed with leukemia. The campaign
attempts to educate African-Americans and other minorities about
the need for bone marrow transplants, and to register more donors.
Donahue lost her battle with leukemia on March 24, 2005, almost two
years after the campaign began.[50]
St. Lunatics
The group St. Lunatics, was formed in 1993 and came out with their
hit, "Gimmie What U Got" and "Thug Luv for the Homiez".
Nelly joined rappers Ali, Murphy Lee, City Spud and Kyjuan to form
the group. Their debut album Free City, followed in 2001 with the
single "Midwest Swing". The album has sold more than a
million units in the United States.
In 2009, the Lunatics were reportedly working on a new album City
Free to be released in the summer of 2009 however the album has been
pushed back to 2011. The first track called "St. Lunatics",
was already leaked in early March 2009,[51] other track leaked is "Get
Low 2 Da Flo", produced by Play-N-Skillz.[52] The first official
single released from the album is "Money Talks" featuring
rapper Birdman. The second official single released from the album
is "Polo". The album is set to be released on summer 2011.
Film and television career
Nelly's film debut came in 2001 in the independent film Snipes playing
a famous rapper named Prolifik.[53] His big movie role came in the
2005 remake of The Longest Yard starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.[54]
The soundtrack of the latter includes Nelly's song "Boom".
In a June 2008 interview with Kiwibox.com, Nelly revealed that he
is reluctant to continue his acting career, noting that he does not
want to "take away from the culture of acting."[55] In
2008 and 2009, Nelly appeared in episodes of the CBS crime drama
CSI: NY.[56]
Discography
Main article: Nelly discography
* Country Grammar (2000)
* Nellyville (2002)
* Sweat (2004)
* Suit (2004)
* Brass Knuckles (2008)
* 5.0 (2010)