Cornell Haynes, Jr.
(November 2, 1974), [1] better known by his stage name Nelly
, is a rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. 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. With his following albums, Nellyville
(2002) and the same-day dual release Sweat
and Suit
(2004) and compilation Sweatsuit
(2006), Nelly continued to generate many chart-topping hits. [2] [3] He won Grammy Awards in 2003 and 2004 [4] and starred in the 2005 remake film The Longest Yard
with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. He has two clothing lines, Vokal and Apple Bottoms.
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Early life and St. Lunatics
Nelly was born in
Austin, TX and moved with his mother to suburban
University City, Missouri as a teenager. He joined rappers Big Lee,
Kyjuan,
Murphy Lee, and
City Spud to form the group St. Lunatics; the group became popular with its single "Gimme What You Got".
Free City
Free City
, recorded with the St. Lunatics, followed in 2001 with the single "Midwest Swing". Nelly recorded "#1" for the soundtrack to the film
Training Day
that year.
Nelly appeared on the songs "
Where the Party At" by
Jagged Edge and "
Girlfriend" by
'N Sync. Free City has sold more than a million units in the United States.
Music career
Country Grammar
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".
The album was certified 9× platinum by the RIAA on April 27, 2004.
[5]
Nellyville
In 2002, Nelly's second album
Nellyville
was released, debuting at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Music Albums
[6]; 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".
This album was highly successful and was certified 6x multi-platinum on June 27, 2003.
[7]
Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention
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 for "
Tip Drill" 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, a
historically black college in
Atlanta, Georgia.
[8] Similar claims of misogyny also surrounded Nelly's single "
Pimp Juice".
[9]RIAA have certified the album Platinum.
Sweat/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.
[10] On the 2004
NBC television concert special
Tim McGraw: Here and Now
, McGraw and Nelly performed the song.
[11] A feud with another St. Louis-based rapper,
Chingy, came up near the end of the year.
[12] Tsunami Aid: A Concert for Hope
, a
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake benefit concert special produced by
NBC, featured Nelly.
[13] 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.
Brass Knuckles
Brass Knuckles
was released on September 16, 2008, after several delays,
[14] Initial release dates for the album targeted October 16
[15] and November 13.
[16] 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.
Nelly later confirmed that "Wadsyaname" was never going to be on 'Brass Knuckles'. Nelly recorded
Party People",
featuring
Fergie and produced by
Polow da Don, which turned out to be his first official single off the album."
" 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.
Endorsements and business ventures
{{
#ifexist:Category:Cleanup from May 2009
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.
[17] Nelly later signed a shoe deal with
Reebok.
[18]
Nelly has done ads for
Got Milk and the
Ford Motor Company. His energy drink
Pimp Juice sells over 1 million cans a week in the United States Nelly owns
Apple Bottoms, a female clothing line, and Vokal, which caters to men. He is one of the owners of the
Charlotte Bobcats, along with
Robert L. Johnson and
Michael Jordan.
[19]
He is the Founder and C.E.O of
Derrty Entertainment.
Nelly played in the Main Event at the
2007 World Series of Poker.
[20]
Charity work
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.
[21]
Acting career
Nelly starred in the 2005 remake of
The Longest Yard
starring
Adam Sandler and
Chris Rock.
[22] The soundtrack includes Nelly's song "Fly Away." In a June 2008 interview with Kiwibox.com, Nelly revealed that he is reluctant to continue his acting career, noting that he doesn't want to "take away from the culture of acting."
[23] In 2008, Nelly appeared in episodes of the
CBS crime drama
CSI: NY
.
- Nelly starred in "Snipes" in 2001
Discography
Studio albums
- Country Grammar
(2000)
- Nellyville
(2002)
- Suit
(2004)
- Sweat
(2004)
- Brass Knuckles
(2008)
Other albums
- Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention
(2003)
- Sweat / Suit
(2005)
- Sweatsuit
(2006)
- 6 Derrty Hits
(2008)
- The Best of Nelly
(2009)
Collaborations
- Free City
(with St. Lunatics) (2001)
- Who's the Boss
(with St. Lunatics) (2006)
- 3000 & 9 Shit
(with Ocean's 7) (2009)
- City Free
(with St. Lunatics) (2009)
- Untitled
(with Pharrell Williams, Akon, and T-Pain) [24] (2010)
- Untitled
(with T.I.) [25] (2011)
Awards
References
- http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-294596
- Nelly - Biography
- Title Unavailable
- Nelly - Grammy Awards
- Country%20Grammar&artist=Nelly&format=ALBUM&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=50
- Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts / Billboard.com
- Nellyville&artist=Nelly&format=ALBUM&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=50
- Hip-hop portrayal of women protested
- Nelly's Pimp Juice Threatened By Anti-Pimp Campaign
- Tim McGraw On Nelly Duet: 'Nothin' Country About The Song, But It Was Fun'
- Television Commentary - Wednesday
- Chingy Fires Back At Nelly And Luda, Drops New Dis Track
- Nelly, Maroon 5, Madonna, Mary J. Blige Join Tsunami Benefit Show
- Nelly Lines up Usher, Fergie and Akon for Brass Knuckles – but No Bruce Springsteen
- T.I., Akon, Snoop, Pimp C Get Behind Nelly's ''Brass Knuckles''
- Coming attractions: Nelly's ready to crack his 'Knuckles'
- For The Record: Quick News On Deftones, Kimberly Caldwell, 50 Cent, Michelle Branch, Hanson, The Roots & More
- Nelly's New Sneaker & Apparel Deal With Reebok
- Robert L. Johnson Adds Nelly To Bobcats Ownership Team
- Day 3 of the main event of the World Series of Poker
- Rapper Nelly's sister dies of leukemia
- The Rapper Who Likes Bowling
- Exclusive Nelly Interview
- Pharrell, T-Pain, Nelly, Akon Unite for Supergroup
- http://www.rap-up.com/2008/07/30/exclusive-nelly-ti-planning-joint-album/