Nelly
Biog
A savvy pop-rapper with crossover appeal, Nelly seemed like a novelty when he
first debuted in summer 2000 with "Country Grammar (Hot...)," yet he was no
one-hit wonder, consistently returning to the pop charts with successive smash
hits like "Hot in Herre." His universality is partly rooted in his hometown: the
Gateway City, officially known as St. Louis, MO, which set him apart from all of
the prevailing rap styles of his time. He wasn't from the East or West Coast,
nor was he from the South; located in the middle of the United States, St. Louis
is a Midwestern city halfway between Minneapolis and New Orleans, built upon on
the western banks of the Mississippi River. 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. Plus, Nelly never shied away from
a pop-rap approach, embracing a singalong vocal style that made his hooks
catchier than most, thanks also in part to his standby producer, Jason "Jay E"
Epperson. As a result, Nelly became a rapper capable of crossing practically all
boundaries, from the Dirty South to TRL and everything in between. His first
hit, "Country Grammar (Hot...)," became a nationwide summer anthem, and many
more smash hits followed. His popularity peaked in summer 2002, when he topped
seemingly every Billboard chart possible with his
Nellyville
album and its lead single, "Hot in Herre."
Born Cornell Haynes, Jr., on November 2, 1974, in St. Louis, Nelly moved with
his mother from the inner city to suburban Universal City as a teen. There he
chiefly attended to baseball and rap, forming the St. Lunatics with a group of
his peers (including
Big Lee,
Kyjuan,
Murphy Lee,
and
City Spud).
The St.
Lunatics
enjoyed a regional hit in 1996 with the self-produced single "Gimmie What You
Got," but no recording deal was forthcoming. Frustrated with failed attempts to
land a recording deal as a group, the St. Lunatics collectively decided that
Nelly would have a better chance as a solo act. The rest of the group could
follow with solo albums of their own. The gamble paid off, and soon Nelly caught
the attention of Universal, who signed him to a solo deal.
His debut album,
Country Grammar
(2000), featured contributions from the St. Lunatics as well as the Teamsters,
Lil Wayne,
and Cedric the Entertainer, and thanks to the widespread popularity of lead
single "Country Grammar (Hot Shit),"
Country Grammar
debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 album chart, climbing to the top
spot soon afterward. In addition to the Top Ten title track,
Country Grammar
spawned the hits singles "E.I.," "Ride wit Me," and "Batter Up." In the wake of
Nelly's remarkable breakthrough success, he recorded a group album with the St.
Lunatics,
Free City
(2001); released by Universal, the album charted Top Three and spawned a
moderate hit, "Midwest Swing," which cracked the Billboard Hot 100 at number 88.
The following summer Nelly returned with his second album,
Nellyville
(2002), and lived up to his self-proclaimed billing as "1" (i.e., the title of
his 2001 hit from the
Training Day
soundtrack):
Nellyville
topped the Billboard album chart while the
Neptunes-produced
lead single, "Hot in Herre," remained atop the singles chart. In all, Nelly
impressively held the number one spot on ten different Billboard charts the week
of
Nellyville's
release, and he remained a chart presence as he released a string of follow-up
singles: "Dilemma" (a chart-topper), "Air Force Ones" (a Top Three hit), "Work
It" (featuring
Justin
Timberlake),
and "Pimp Juice" (the source of some controversy).
Even once
Nellyville
ran its course commercially, Nelly's hit streak continued unabated, with "Iz U"
(from his stopgap remix album
Derrty Versions
[2003 (from the Bad Boys II [2003 and
R. Kelly,
who had both recently released very successful two-disc sets).
Sweat
and
Suit
were led by a pair of red-hot singles -- "Flap Your Wings" (a club jam) and "My
Place" (a slow jam) -- and debuted at the top two spots on the Billboard 200
album chart. Follow-up singles included "Tilt Ya Head Back" (featuring
Christina
Aguilera),
"Over and Over" (Tim McGraw), "Na-Na-Na-Na" (Jazze
Pha),
and "N Dey Say."
Sweat
and
Suit
were later bundled as
Sweatsuit
(2005), along with the new song "Grillz," itself a number one hit.
Hits:
‘Getting hot in here’, 'Dilemma': Video: Watch here
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