Nelly

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Biography

Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly , is a Grammy Award winning American rapper , entrepreneur and occasional actor . He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album Country Grammar , the Country Grammar (Hot Shit)|title track of which was a top ten hit. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to peak at number one. Country Grammar is Nelly's best-selling album to date, selling over 8.4 million copies in the United States. Chart Watch by Paul Grein His following album, Nellyville , produced the Hot 100 number-one hits of 2002 (USA)|number-one hit s " Hot in Herre " and " Dilemma (song)|Dilemma " featuring Kelly Rowland . Other singles included " Work It (Nelly song)|Work It " featuring Justin Timberlake , " Air Force Ones (song)|Air Force Ones " featuring Murphy Lee and the St. Lunatics , " Pimp Juice " and " Number 1 (Nelly song)|#1 ".

With the same-day dual release Sweat (Nelly album)|Sweat and Suit (album)|Suit (2004) and the compilation Sweatsuit (album)|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 (album)|Brass Knuckles , was released on September 16, 2008 after several delays. It produced the singles " Party People (Nelly song)|Party People " featuring Fergie (singer)|Fergie , " Stepped on My J'z " featuring Jermaine Dupri and Ciara and " Body on Me " featuring Akon and Ashanti (entertainer)|Ashanti . In 2010, Nelly released the album 5.0 . The lead single, " Just a Dream (Nelly song)|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 (song)|Move That Body " featuring T-Pain and Akon. " Gone (Nelly song)|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 (2005 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 (journalist)|Peter Shapiro as "one of the biggest stars of the new millennium",Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop , 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 274 and the RIAA ranks Nelly as one of the best-selling male artists in American music history, with 21 million albums sold in the United States. On December 11, 2009, Billboard ranked Nelly the number three Top Artist of the Decade. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts-decade-end/artists-of-the-decade? year=2009

Life and career

1974–00: Early life and career beginnings

Nelly was born in Austin, Texas , where his father was serving in the military. When he was seven, his parents divorced. 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. He was signed to Universal Music Group by A& R Kevin Law. Law told HitQuarters that very few people at the record company liked Nelly when he was first signed, with the feedback he received from his colleagues on the rapper's music being "extraordinarily negative". Nelly was unusual for being a rapper from the Midwestern United States|Midwest at a time when the hip-hop scenes were centred around the East Coast of the United States|East Coast , West Coast of the United States|West Coast and the Southern United States|South . The label used this to their advantage by branding Nelly as a star of the Midwest, hoping to inspire pride in the people of St Louis and the surrounding region. Nelly was signed together with St. Lunatics. Kevin Law and Country from Fo'Reel Entertainment decided to do a solo record with Nelly first and then return to St. Lunatics the following year.

The label released his major label debut Country Grammar in 2000. The success of its Country Grammar (Hot Shit)|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. (song)|E.I. ", " Ride wit Me " featuring his brother City Spud and " Batter Up " featuring the St. Lunatics. The album was certified 9× platinum by the RIAA on April 27, 2004.

2002–03: Nellyville

In 2002, Nelly's second album Nellyville was released, debuting at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Music Albums; its lead single " Hot in Herre " was a Hot 100 number-one hits of 2002 (USA)|number-one hit . Other singles included " Dilemma (song)|Dilemma " featuring Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child , "Work It" featuring Justin Timberlake , " Air Force Ones (song)|Air Force Ones " featuring Murphy Lee and the St. Lunatics , " Pimp Juice ", and "#1". This album was highly successful and was certified 6x multi-platinum on June 27, 2003. "Hot in Herre" won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance in 2003. 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 (film)|The Haunted Mansion . The music video of a Tip Drill (song)|Tip Drill Remix became a source of controversy due to perceptions of misogyny|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 . Similar claims of misogyny also surrounded Nelly's single " Pimp Juice ". RIAA have certified the album Platinum. For the Bad Boys II (soundtrack)|Bad Boys II soundtrack album, Nelly contributed the single " Shake Ya Tailfeather " featuring Sean Combs|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 .

2004–05: Sweat and Suit

On September 14, 2004, Nelly released two albums, Sweat (Nelly album)|Sweat and Suit (album)|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 (Nelly song)|Over and Over ", an unlikely duet (music)|duet with country music star Tim McGraw , became a crossover music|crossover hit. On the 2004 NBC television concert special Tim McGraw: Here and Now , McGraw and Nelly performed the song. A feud with another St. Louis-based rapper, Chingy , came up near the end of the year. Tsunami Aid: A Concert for Hope , a 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake benefit concert special produced by NBC , featured Nelly. In the winter of 2005 came Sweatsuit (album)|Sweatsuit , a compilation of tracks from Sweat and Suit with three new tracks. " Grillz ", produced by Jermaine Dupri , was a Hot 100 number-one hits of 2006 (USA)|number-one hit . To date both albums have sold over 5 million units in the United States.

2008: Brass Knuckles

Brass Knuckles (album)|Brass Knuckles was released on September 16, 2008, after several delays, Initial release dates for the album targeted October 16 and November 13. 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 (K-Ci and JoJo song)|All My Life " by K-Ci & JoJo . Nelly later confirmed that "Wadsyaname" was never going to be on 'Brass Knuckles'. Nelly recorded Party People (Nelly song)|Party People ", featuring Fergie (singer)|Fergie and produced by Polow da Don , which turned out to be his first official single off the album." 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 (singer)|Ashanti . Nelly appeared on Rick Ross 's third single " Here I Am (Rick Ross song)|Here I Am " also featuring label mate Avery Storm .

2009–11: 5.0 and O.E.M.O.

In the summer of 2009, Nelly made a public announcement in Las Vegas metropolitan area|Las Vegas about the yet-to-be-titled album. In October 2009, Nelly did an interview with SOHH.com and said that the album was going to be released sometime in 2010. In a interview with Semtex TV, Nelly told reporters that he planned to release the album under the name Nelly . In April 2010, Nelly's cousin Michael Johnson was murdered in Missouri , Nelly said that he delayed releasing the album because of this. Guests featured on the album were, T-Pain , Chris Brown (American singer)|Chris Brown , Akon , Plies (rapper)|Plies , T.I. , Kelly Rowland , Birdman (rapper)|Birdman , DJ Khaled , Avery Storm and Diddy-Dirty Money .. November 10, 2009. Concrete Loop. In May 2010, Nelly confirmed that the title of the album was 5.0 . The album was released on November 16, 2010.. Rap-Up.com. Retrieved August 9, 2010. The album's lead single " Just a Dream (Nelly song)|Just a Dream " was released on August 17, 2010, through iTunes along with the promotional single "Tippin' In da Club". The two songs were released to Mainstream and Rhythm/Crossover radio on August 10, 2010.. FMQB. Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report. Retrieved August 12, 2010. "Just a Dream" made its first chart appearance debuting on the US Billboard Hot 100| 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 (magazine)|Billboard Hot 100 Digital (Digital Songs)|Digital Songs chart, selling 888,000 downloads in its first week.. Rap-Up. Retrieved 2010-08-27. "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 It debuted in Australia ( ARIA Charts ) on the Singles Chart at number 3, in Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|New Zealand Singles Charts at number twenty-nine, and in Switzerland ( Media Control Charts|Media Control AG ) at number fifty-two. The second single " Move That Body (song)|Move That Body ", which features T-Pain and Akon , was released on October 12, 2010.. iTunes.com. Retrieved October 13, 2010. 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.. webcitation.org. Retrieved 2010-11-17. 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 . " Gone (Nelly song)|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. On December 24, 2011, Nelly released a mixtape titled O.E.M.O. (which stands for On Everything MO ), which features guest performances from T.I. , 2 Chainz, Bei Maejor , St. Louis, St. Lunatics , SAG Live and Trixie. http://www.rap-up.com/2011/12/24/new-music-nelly-oemo-mixtape/

Artistry

Musical style and influences

Nelly’s rapping style has been described by Peter Shapiro (journalist)|Peter Shapiro as using "unforgettable hooks based on schoolyard songs, double-dutch chants, and nonsense rhymes" and has a " Missouri twang".Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop , 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 275 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". Nelly explains his method of writing in the book How to Rap , describing how he freestyle rap|freestyles most of the lyrics before going back over them to "make it a little tighter",Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap : The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC , Chicago Review Press, p. 151-152. he generally writes in the studio rather than at home,Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap : The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC , Chicago Review Press, p. 153. he normally comes up with a chorus for a song before writing the verses,Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap : The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC , Chicago Review Press, p. 190. and he likes to write to the music he will be rapping over.Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap : The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC , Chicago Review Press, p. 169. Allmusic also notes his "tongue-twisting" hooks, which are also often sung rather than rapped. 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

Nike, Inc.|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. Nelly later signed a shoe deal with Reebok . Nelly has done ads for Got Milk and the Ford Motor Company . His energy drink Pimp Juice (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. 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.

Nelly has played the Main Event at the 2007 World Series of Poker . He has also played The PokerStars European Poker Tour and PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. In August, 2010, Nelly started a temporary stint as the afternoon host on WHHL|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 St. Louis Post-Dispatch|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.

Philanthropy

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.

In 2010, Nelly endorsed Do Something 's Tackle Hunger campaign. In a public service announcement he filmed for the cause, Nelly challenged teens to fight hunger by collecting 1 million pounds of food for the holiday sesason.

Film and television career

Nelly's film debut came in 2001 in the independent film Snipes playing a famous rapper named Prolifik. . Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 22 November 2009. His big movie role came in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard (2005 film)|The Longest Yard starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock . The movie's The Longest Yard (soundtrack)|soundtrack includes Nelly's songs " Errtime " and "Fly Away". In June 2008, in a interview with Kiwibox , 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." In 2008 and 2009, Nelly appeared in episodes of the CBS crime drama CSI: NY .. Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 22 November 2009. In 2011, he played himself in 90210 (TV series)|90210 .

Discography

;Studio albums

Country Grammar (2000)

Nellyville (2002)

Sweat (Nelly album)|Sweat (2004)

Suit (album)|Suit (2004)

Brass Knuckles (album)|Brass Knuckles (2008)

5.0 (2010)

''Nelly's seventh album (2012)

;Compilation albums

Sweatsuit (album)|Sweatsuit (2005)

The Best of Nelly (2009)

;Remix albums

Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention (2003)

;Extended plays

6 Derrty Hits (2008)

6 Pack (2010)

;Collaboration albums

Free City (album)|Free City (with St. Lunatics ) (2001)

'' Who's the Boss (album)|Who's the Boss (with St. Lunatics) (2006)

City Free (with St. Lunatics) (TBA)

;Mixtapes

3000 & 9 Shit (with Ocean's 7) (2009)

O.E.MO (2011)

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Snipes	Prolifk
2005	The Longest Yard	Earl Megget	soundtrack

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	CSI: NY	Minor characters in CSI: NY#Terrence Davis	Season 5, episode 3 "Turbulence" Season 5, episode 8 "My Name Is Mac Taylor"
2009	CSI: NY	Minor characters in CSI: NY#Terrence Davis	Season 5, episode 5 "Pay Up" Season 6, episode 8 "Cuckoo's Nest"
2011	90210	Himself	Cameo appearance; Season 3, episode 15 "Revenge with the Nerd"
2011	T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle	Himself	Camelo appearance; Season 1, episode 3 "America's Sweetheart"

Copyright Citations

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Hip Hop/Rap Music Artists