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Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the
Midwest hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...
group
St. Lunatics St. Lunatics were an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. Their first single, "Gimme What U Got", gained popularity in ...
. He signed with
Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
as a solo act in 1999 to release his debut studio album, ''
Country Grammar ''Country Grammar'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Nelly. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Universal Records. The production on the album was handled by Jason "Jay E" Epperson, with additional production by C-Lov ...
'' (2000). Its two lead singles, "
Country Grammar (Hot Shit) "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)" (also known as "Country Grammar (Hot...) "in the clean version, and released as a single under the title (Hot S**t) Country Grammar) is a song by American rapper Nelly. The song was written by Nelly and Jason "Jay E" ...
" and "
Ride wit Me "Ride wit Me" is a song by American rapper Nelly featuring City Spud. It was released on February 13, 2001, as the third single from Nelly's debut studio album, ''Country Grammar'' (2000). "Ride wit Me" peaked at number three on the US ''Billb ...
", (featuring
City Spud St. Lunatics were an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. Their first single, "Gimme What U Got", gained popularity in ...
), both entered the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album peaked atop the ''Billboard'' 200 and received
diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
certification by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). His second album, ''
Nellyville ''Nellyville'' is the second studio album by American rapper Nelly. It was released on June 25, 2002, by Universal Records and Fo' Reel Entertainment. The album's production was handled by Waiel Yaghnam, the Neptunes, Jay E, Trackboyz, Ryan ...
'' (2002), spawned two consecutive ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles: "
Hot in Herre "Hot in Herre" is a song by American rapper Nelly, released as the lead single from his second album, ''Nellyville'' (2002). It was released on May 7, 2002, by Universal Records. It was written by Nelly, Charles Brown, and the producers the Nept ...
" and "
Dilemma A dilemma () is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but distinguishing the dilemma from other kinds of p ...
" (featuring
Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling gir ...
), along with the top-five single, " Air Force Ones" (featuring
Murphy Lee Torhi Harper (born December 18, 1978) better known by his stage name Murphy Lee, is an American rapper who is best known as a member of the St. Louis, Missouri-based hip hop group, St. Lunatics. Following the commercial success of its lead mem ...
and St. Lunatics). The same-day dual release of his next albums ''
Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and Apocrine sweat gland, apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distribu ...
'' and ''
Suit A suit, also called a lounge suit, business suit, dress suit, or formal suit, is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt su ...
'' (2004)—bundled into the 2005 compilation album '' Sweatsuit''—were met with continued success. ''Sweat'' debuted at number two while ''Suit'' debuted at number one, selling an estimated 700,000 combined units in their first week. His fifth studio album, ''
Brass Knuckles Brass knuckles (also referred to as brass knucks, knuckledusters, iron fist and paperweight, among other names) are a melee weapon used primarily in Hand to hand combat, hand-to-hand combat. They are fitted and designed to be worn around the kn ...
'' (2008), was supported by the singles " Party People" (featuring Fergie), "
Stepped on My J'z "Stepped on My J'z" is a song written and performed by American rapper Nelly featuring American singer Ciara and fellow American rapper Jermaine Dupri; produced by the latter, it was released as the second single from Nelly's fifth studio album, ' ...
" (featuring
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
and
Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was discovered by record producer Jazze Pha in the early 2000s, and rose to prominence with her debut studio album, ''Goodies ...
), and " Body on Me" (featuring
Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...
and Ashanti). His sixth album, ''
5.0 ''5.0'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nelly. It was released through Universal Motown Records (Universal Music Group) and Derrty (Universal Music Group) on November 12, 2010.
'' (2010), delved further into
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
. Its lead single, " Just a Dream", received triple platinum certification by the RIAA and was followed by " Move That Body", (featuring
T-Pain Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...
and Akon), and " Gone", (featuring Kelly Rowland). His seventh and eighth albums, '' M.O.'' (2013) and '' Heartland'' (2021), were both met with lukewarm commercial response and mixed reviews; the latter was released by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
and marked a full departure from his previous styles in favor of
country rap Country rap (also called country hip-hop, country hick-hop, and sometimes hick-hop) is a fusion genre of popular music, mixing country music with hip-hop–style singing or rapping. History Prototypes Early influences on the emergence of count ...
. Nelly has won multiple accolades throughout his career, including three
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
s and nine ''Billboard'' Music Awards. He has been referred to by Peter Shapiro as "one of the biggest stars of the new millennium". In 2014, Nelly was ranked as the fourth-best-selling hip hop artist in American music history according to the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
, with 21 million albums sold in the United States. In December 2009, ''Billboard'' ranked Nelly at number three on the Top Artists of the Decade list for the 2000s. Outside of recording, he starred in the 2005 sports film, '' The Longest Yard'' alongside
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
and
Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and obse ...
. He launched the clothing line Vokal in 1997 and the line of womenswear,
Apple Bottoms AppleBottoms is a fashion brand for women launched in 2003 by rap artist Nelly, Yomi Martin, Nick Loftis, and Ian Kelly. The brand was initially a denim label, but has since expanded to include other women's and girl's clothing, perfume and acce ...
in 2003. His record label imprint,
Derrty Entertainment Derrty Entertainment is a record label founded by rapper Nelly in 2003. It operated as a division of Motown and served as the parent company for its now-defunct predecessor and sublabel, Fo' Reel Entertainment. Nelly's St. Lunatics cohort, Ali J ...
, was launched in a joint venture with
Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
in 2003, though it has been largely inactive.


Life and career


1974–2000: Early life and start of career

Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. was born on November 2, 1974, in
Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, the only son of Cornell Haynes and Rhonda Mack. His father served in the
Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
for much of his childhood and when he was seven, his parents divorced. As a teenager, Haynes moved with his mother from
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
, Missouri, to University City, a St. Louis County suburb. While in high school, Nelly formed the
St. Lunatics St. Lunatics were an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. Their first single, "Gimme What U Got", gained popularity in ...
with his friends Ali,
Murphy Lee Torhi Harper (born December 18, 1978) better known by his stage name Murphy Lee, is an American rapper who is best known as a member of the St. Louis, Missouri-based hip hop group, St. Lunatics. Following the commercial success of its lead mem ...
, Kyjuan, Slo Down, and his half brother
City Spud St. Lunatics were an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. Their first single, "Gimme What U Got", gained popularity in ...
. The group enjoyed moderate local popularity with their single "Gimme What Ya Got" in 1996. Despite being popular in Missouri and the surrounding areas, the group struggled to achieve success outside of St. Louis. The rest of the group agreed to let Nelly go solo after a major record deal failed to appear. Later in 1999, Nelly was signed to
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
by A&R Kevin Law. Law told
HitQuarters HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...
that Nelly was largely disliked by the label when he 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
Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
at a time when hip-hop was dominated by the East Coast, West Coast and the
South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
. The label used this to their advantage by branding him as a star of the Midwest, hoping to inspire pride in the people of St Louis and the surrounding regions. Despite the negative feedback he received from the label, his debut single, "
Country Grammar (Hot Shit) "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)" (also known as "Country Grammar (Hot...) "in the clean version, and released as a single under the title (Hot S**t) Country Grammar) is a song by American rapper Nelly. The song was written by Nelly and Jason "Jay E" ...
", was a success, peaking at number 7 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and UK singles chart. Recognizing Nelly's potential, the label began to change their mind and allowed work to begin on his debut album. The label decided to do a solo record with him first and then reunite him with the St. Lunatics the following year.


2000–2003: Breakthrough with ''Country Grammar'' and ''Nellyville''

The label released his debut album, ''
Country Grammar ''Country Grammar'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Nelly. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Universal Records. The production on the album was handled by Jason "Jay E" Epperson, with additional production by C-Lov ...
'', in 2000. The success of its title track as a single, reaching number 7 on the Hot 100 and No. 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 "Ride wit Me" is a song by American rapper Nelly featuring City Spud. It was released on February 13, 2001, as the third single from Nelly's debut studio album, ''Country Grammar'' (2000). "Ride wit Me" peaked at number three on the US ''Billb ...
", featuring
City Spud St. Lunatics were an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. Their first single, "Gimme What U Got", gained popularity in ...
; and " Batter Up", featuring the St. Lunatics. The album was certified 9× platinum by the RIAA in April 2004. In January 2001, Nelly performed as a special guest in the
Super Bowl XXXV Super Bowl XXXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2000 Baltimore Ravens season, Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2000 New York Giants season, New York Giant ...
halftime show. In 2002, Nelly's second album, ''
Nellyville ''Nellyville'' is the second studio album by American rapper Nelly. It was released on June 25, 2002, by Universal Records and Fo' Reel Entertainment. The album's production was handled by Waiel Yaghnam, the Neptunes, Jay E, Trackboyz, Ryan ...
'', was released, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 Music Albums. Its lead single "
Hot in Herre "Hot in Herre" is a song by American rapper Nelly, released as the lead single from his second album, ''Nellyville'' (2002). It was released on May 7, 2002, by Universal Records. It was written by Nelly, Charles Brown, and the producers the Nept ...
" was a number-one hit. Other singles included "
Dilemma A dilemma () is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but distinguishing the dilemma from other kinds of p ...
", which featured
Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling gir ...
and sold over 7.6 million records worldwide, "Work It" featuring
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
, " Air Force Ones" featuring
Murphy Lee Torhi Harper (born December 18, 1978) better known by his stage name Murphy Lee, is an American rapper who is best known as a member of the St. Louis, Missouri-based hip hop group, St. Lunatics. Following the commercial success of its lead mem ...
and the
St. Lunatics St. Lunatics were an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. Their first single, "Gimme What U Got", gained popularity in ...
, "
Pimp Juice "Pimp Juice" is the fourth US and Canadian single by American rapper Nelly, released on March 10, 2003, from his 2002 album, '' Nellyville''. The song peaked at number 58 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In the song, Nelly states that women only ...
", and "#1". This album was highly successful and was certified 6x multi-platinum in June 2003. "Hot in Herre" won the
Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance was an honor presented to male recording artists at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003 and the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004 for quality rap solo performances. The Grammy Awards, an annual ceremony t ...
in 2003. In 2003, Nelly released '' Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention'', which featured the hit single " Iz U" from the soundtrack to
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
's ''
The Haunted Mansion The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride, dark-ride attraction located at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland. The haunted house attraction features a ride-through tour in Omnimover vehicles called “Doom Buggies”, and a walk-through s ...
''. The music video of a Tip Drill Remix became a source of controversy due to perceptions of
misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practis ...
depictions of women. The controversy forced him to cancel an appearance at a
bone marrow Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...
drive at
Spelman College Spelman College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia ...
, a
historically black college Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...
in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
. Similar claims of misogyny surrounded his single "
Pimp Juice "Pimp Juice" is the fourth US and Canadian single by American rapper Nelly, released on March 10, 2003, from his 2002 album, '' Nellyville''. The song peaked at number 58 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In the song, Nelly states that women only ...
". RIAA has certified the album as Platinum. For the ''
Bad Boys II ''Bad Boys II'' is a 2003 American action comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and the sequel to the 1995 film '' Bad Boys'', in addition to the second film in the ''Bad Boys'' film series. Martin Lawrence, ...
'' soundtrack album, Nelly contributed the single "
Shake Ya Tailfeather "Shake Ya Tailfeather" is a song by American rappers Nelly, Sean Combs, P. Diddy, and Murphy Lee. It was released in 2003 from the ''Bad Boys II (soundtrack), Bad Boys II Soundtrack''. The song was also included on Lee's debut album, ''Murphy's L ...
" featuring
Diddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...
and
Murphy Lee Torhi Harper (born December 18, 1978) better known by his stage name Murphy Lee, is an American rapper who is best known as a member of the St. Louis, Missouri-based hip hop group, St. Lunatics. Following the commercial success of its lead mem ...
. Another number-one hit, "Shake Ya Tailfeather", won the 2004
Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group was awarded between 1991 and 2011, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance. The award was discontinue ...
.


2004–2008: Continued success; ''Sweat'', ''Suit'', and ''Brass Knuckles''

In February 2004, Nelly performed in the
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show The Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, known through corporate sponsorship as the Super Bowl XXXVIII AOL TopSpeed Halftime Show took place on February 1, 2004, at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, as part of Super Bowl XXXVIII. It featured Ja ...
, his second time performing in a Super Bowl halftime show. On September 14, 2004, he released two albums, ''
Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and Apocrine sweat gland, apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distribu ...
'' and ''
Suit A suit, also called a lounge suit, business suit, dress suit, or formal suit, is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt su ...
''. ''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 A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
" Over and Over", an unlikely
duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...
with
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
star
Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 17 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, five for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums have reached number one on ...
, became a
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...
hit. On the 2004
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
television concert special ''Tim McGraw: Here and Now'', McGraw and Nelly performed the song. A feud with another St. Louis-based rapper,
Chingy Howard Earl Bailey Jr. (born March 9, 1980), better known by his stage name Chingy, is an American rapper. He toured as an opening act with fellow St. Louis rapper Nelly in 2002, and signed with Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' record label, D ...
, emerged at the end of 2004. ''Tsunami Aid: A Concert for Hope'', a
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+07:00, UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicenter, epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The Submarine earthquake, undersea ...
benefit concert special produced by NBC, featured Nelly. In the winter of 2005 came '' Sweatsuit'', a compilation of tracks from ''Sweat'' and ''Suit'' with three new tracks. "
Grillz "Grillz" is a song by American rapper Nelly featuring fellow American rappers Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp, and uncredited vocals from American singer Brandi Williams (of the group Blaque). The song was written by Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, Paul Wall, A ...
", produced by
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
, was a number-one hit. To date both albums have sold over 5 million units in the United States. ''
Brass Knuckles Brass knuckles (also referred to as brass knucks, knuckledusters, iron fist and paperweight, among other names) are a melee weapon used primarily in Hand to hand combat, hand-to-hand combat. They are fitted and designed to be worn around the kn ...
'' was released on September 16, 2008, after several delays. Initial release dates for the album were October 16 and November 13. Its original lead single was "
Wadsyaname "Wadsyaname" is a song by American rapper Nelly, released to the iTunes Store on August 22, 2007. It was supposed to be the first official single from his fifth studio album ''Brass Knuckles'' (2008), but Nelly later confirmed that the single wil ...
", a ballad-oriented track produced by Ron "NEFF-U" Feemstar and sampling the piano riff from " All My Life" by
K-Ci & JoJo K-Ci & JoJo is an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey (born September 2, 1969) and Joel "JoJo" Hailey (born June 10, 1971). Natives of Charlotte, North Carolina, they are also the lead singers of the chart-topping R& ...
. Nelly later confirmed that "Wadsyaname" was never going to be on ''Brass Knuckles''. He recorded " Party People", featuring Fergie and produced by
Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977 or 1978), known professionally as Polow da Don, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career as a recording artist in the late 1990s, leaving college to pursue a career with ...
, which turned out to be his first official single off the album. "
Stepped on My J'z "Stepped on My J'z" is a song written and performed by American rapper Nelly featuring American singer Ciara and fellow American rapper Jermaine Dupri; produced by the latter, it was released as the second single from Nelly's fifth studio album, ' ...
" was the next single, produced by
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
; it features Dupri and
Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was discovered by record producer Jazze Pha in the early 2000s, and rose to prominence with her debut studio album, ''Goodies ...
. Next was " Body on Me", produced by
Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...
which features Akon and Ashanti. Nelly appeared on
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...
's third single, " Here I Am" featuring label mate
Avery Storm Ralph Di Stasio (born December 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Avery Storm, is an American singer from Fair Lawn, New Jersey. He is best known for his guest appearance alongside Nelly on Rick Ross' 2008 single " Here I Am," which peaked ...
.


2009–2010: Collaborations and ''5.0''

In the summer of 2009, Nelly made a public announcement in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
about the yet-to-be-titled album. In October 2009, in an interview with SOHH.com he said that the album was going to be released sometime in 2010. In an interview with Semtex TV, he 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 Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. Nelly said that he delayed releasing the album because of the tragedy. Guests featured on the album were
T-Pain Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...
,
Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...
,
Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...
, Plies,
T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...
, Kelly Rowland, Birdman,
DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (; born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry ar ...
,
Avery Storm Ralph Di Stasio (born December 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Avery Storm, is an American singer from Fair Lawn, New Jersey. He is best known for his guest appearance alongside Nelly on Rick Ross' 2008 single " Here I Am," which peaked ...
, and Diddy-Dirty Money. In May 2010, Nelly confirmed that the title of the album was ''
5.0 ''5.0'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nelly. It was released through Universal Motown Records (Universal Music Group) and Derrty (Universal Music Group) on November 12, 2010.
''. The album was released on November 16, 2010."Nelly Revs Up for Fall Album Release"
. Rap-Up.com. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
The album's lead single " Just a Dream" was released on August 17, 2010, through
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
along with the promotional single "Tippin' in da Club". The two songs were released to mainstream and Rhythm/Crossover radio on August 10, 2010. "Just a Dream" made its first chart appearance debuting on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 12 and peaking at number 3 in its fourth week. The song debuted at number 3 on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Digital Songs The Digital Song Sales (previously named Digital Songs and Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Luminate and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally started tracking ...
chart, selling 888,000 downloads in its first week. "Just a Dream" is Nelly's highest-charting song since his 2005 single "Grillz" and debuted at number 7 on the ''Billboard''
Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio statio ...
. The song entered the
Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...
in August 2010, at number 32 It debuted in Australia (
ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...
) on the Singles Chart at number 3, in New Zealand Singles Charts at number 29, and in Switzerland (
Media Control AG The GfK Entertainment charts are the official charts for music, home video, and video games in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on beh ...
) at number 52. The second single " Move That Body", which features
T-Pain Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...
and
Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...
, was released on October 12, 2010. The song made its first chart appearance debuting on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 54 and reached number 29 in Australia. In October 2010, Nelly featured on the second single by singer
Mohombi Mohombi Nzasi Moupondo (born 17 October 1986) is a Congolese- Swedish musician, singer, composer and dancer. He grew up in Norsborg and Kista near Stockholm. Mohombi was RedOne's first signing to 2101 Records in joint venture with Universa ...
entitled "Miss Me", produced by
RedOne Nadir Khayat (, Latn, ar, Nādir Ḵayyāṭ; born 9 April 1972), also known as RedOne, is a Moroccan-Swedish record producer, record executive, singer and songwriter. He has worked in production for high-profile recording artists including La ...
. In November 2010, Nelly appeared on the Pacquiao vs. Margarito pay-per-view, at the
Cowboys Stadium AT&T Stadium is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. It is also the home of the Cotton Bowl Classic ...
in
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...
. " Gone" is the sequel to his 2002 worldwide number-one single "Dilemma", also with Rowland, and is the third single from the album.


2011–2014: ''M.O.'' and ''The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep''

In June 2011,
Pitbull Pit bull is an umbrella term for several types of dog believed to have descended from bull and terriers. In the United States, the term is usually considered to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American B ...
released a song off the deluxe version of the album ''
Planet Pit ''Planet Pit'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Pitbull. It was released on June 17, 2011, through Polo Grounds Music, Mr. 305 Entertainment, Sony Music, and J Records. The production on the album was handled by a variety of pop a ...
'' featuring Nelly titled "My Kinda Girl". In December 2011, he released his first solo
mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...
, entitled ''O.E.MO'', which stands for "On Everything MO". The mixtape features guest appearances from
T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...
,
2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (formerly Tity Boi), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Ci ...
,
Bei Maejor Brandon Michael Green (born July 23, 1988), known professionally as Maejor (formerly Bei Maejor and later Maejor Ali), is an American record producer, songwriter, and singer. Green is known for having produced and written songs for prominent mu ...
,
St. Lunatics St. Lunatics were an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. Their first single, "Gimme What U Got", gained popularity in ...
and more. In August 2012, Nelly became a coach on
The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
's '' The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep'' along with
Gloria Estefan Gloria María Milagrosa Estefan (; ; born September 1, 1957) is an American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is an eight-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been named one of t ...
,
John Rich John Rich (born January 7, 1974) is an American country music singer-songwriter. From 1992 to 1998, he was a member of the country band Lonestar, in which he played bass guitar and alternated with Richie McDonald as lead vocalist. After depa ...
and
Joe Jonas Joseph Adam Jonas (born August 15, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin Jonas, Kevin and Nick Jonas, Nick. The group released their ...
. Nelly released his second mixtape, entitled ''Scorpio Season'', on November 2, 2012. In February 2013, he released "Hey Porsche", the lead single from his seventh studio album ''M.O.'' The song peaked at number 42 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and hit the top ten in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In April 2013, a remix of "Cruise (song), Cruise", the breakthrough single of
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
duo Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly, was released. In July 2013, his single "Get Like Me (Nelly song), Get Like Me" featuring Nicki Minaj and Pharrell Williams was released on iTunes. Nelly's album '' M.O.'' was released on September 30, 2013, by Republic Records.


2014–present: Television series and ''Heartland''

From 2014 to 2015, Nelly starred in the reality TV show ''Nellyville (TV series), Nellyville'', which ran for two seasons. The BET series is about Nelly's career in music and acting. His four children are featured, two biological, the other two from his late sister. On August 6, 2015, he premiered the single "The Fix (song), The Fix", which was released on his own label, "RECORDS". In an interview with Big Boy (radio host), Big Boy, Nelly said that there may or may not be a new album related to The Fix. As of 2018, Nelly is signed to
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
. In 2020, he released the song "Lil Bit", a collaboration with Florida Georgia Line from his "country music, country-influenced" album titled '' Heartland''. He also joined country singers Kane Brown and Brett Kissel for remixes of their songs, "Cool Again" and "She Drives Me Crazy (Brett Kissel song), She Drives Me Crazy". In February 2024, Nelly was featured on the
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
single "This Lil' Game We Play", featuring Ashanti and Juicy J. In August 2024, it was revealed that Nelly was now frequently performing at the Hollywood Casino and Hotel in Maryland Heights, Missouri. In January 2025, it was announced that Nelly would have a residency at Zouk Nightclub in Resorts World Las Vegas, with dates running through the end of August 2025.


Film and television career

Nelly's film debut began in 2001 in the independent film ''Snipes'', playing a famous rapper named Prolifik. He starred in the 2005 remake of '' The Longest Yard'' with
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
and
Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and obse ...
. The Longest Yard (soundtrack), The movie's soundtrack includes his songs "Errtime" and "Fly Away". In June 2008, in an 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, he appeared in episodes of the CBS crime drama ''CSI: NY''. In 2011, he made a cameo appearance on ''90210 (TV series), 90210''. From 2014 to 2015, he appeared in his own reality TV show, ''Nellyville (TV series), Nellyville'', based on the title of his second studio album. The show ran for two seasons. From 2013 to 2016, Nelly was in the main cast of the mockumentary series ''Real Husbands of Hollywood''. In September 2020, Nelly was announced as one of the celebrities competing on the Dancing with the Stars (American season 29), 29th season of ''Dancing with the Stars (American TV series), Dancing with the Stars''. He and his partner Daniella Karagach finished in third place.


Artistry

Nelly's rapping style has been described by Peter Shapiro as using "unforgettable Hook (music), hooks based on schoolyard songs, double-dutch chants, and nonsense rhymes" and has a "
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
twang". 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", he generally writes in the studio rather than at home, he normally comes up with a chorus for a song before writing the verses, and he likes to write to the music he will be rapping over. AllMusic notes his "tongue-twisting" hooks, which are often sung rather than rapped.


Personal life

Nelly dated singer Ashanti from 2003 to 2013 after meeting at the 2003 Grammy Awards. The two began dating again in 2023. In December 2023, it was reported the couple were expecting their first child together and had married on the 27th. In April 2024, Ashanti confirmed her pregnancy and the couple's engagement in ''Essence (magazine), Essence'' magazine. On July 18, 2024, the couple welcomed their first child. Nelly has two children from previous relationships: a son named Cornell Haynes III (Tre) and a daughter named Chanelle (Nana). Nelly also has two adopted children from his stepsister Jaqueline Donahue, who died of leukemia on March 25, 2005. Nelly has been a longtime fan of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. Likewise a fan of the former St. Louis Rams during their tenure in St. Louis from 1995 to 2015, he expressed ongoing support for the team following their relocation to Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles in 2016, even attending their appearance at Super Bowl LVI in 2022.


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. In 2005, Nelly signed a shoe deal with Reebok. He has been in 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. He owns
Apple Bottoms AppleBottoms is a fashion brand for women launched in 2003 by rap artist Nelly, Yomi Martin, Nick Loftis, and Ian Kelly. The brand was initially a denim label, but has since expanded to include other women's and girl's clothing, perfume and acce ...
, 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 majority owner in March 2010. Nelly has played the Main Event at the 2007 World Series of Poker. He has played The PokerStars European Poker Tour and PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. In August 2010, he began a stint as the afternoon host on WHHL HOT 104.1 in
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
. He was taking the place of regular PM drive personality, Stacy Static, who left on pregnancy leave. In September 2010, Nelly released a fitness DVD entitled ''Celebrity Sweat'', walking viewers through various exercises and weight training techniques. In 2011, he and Vatterott College worked together to found the Ex'treme Institute By Nelly, which is a music production school in the heart of
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
. In 2015, Nelly teamed up with Mike and Ike candy after a halt in collaborating a year earlier. He and the owners of Mike and Ike released a movie trailer the same day titled "The Return of Mike and Ike" describing the split and reunion. In 2021, he collaborated with Burger King on the "Cornell Haynes, Jr. Meal", part of a line of celebrity-themed meals that the establishment created to promote its "Keep It Real Meals", in recognition of their removal of 120 Ingredient#Artificial ingredient, artificial ingredients from its menu items. The meal consisted of a Whopper, small French fries, fries, and a small Sprite (drink), Sprite. In April 2023, Nelly launched a moonshine brand called "MoShine".


Feud with Chingy

Fellow St. Louis rapper
Chingy Howard Earl Bailey Jr. (born March 9, 1980), better known by his stage name Chingy, is an American rapper. He toured as an opening act with fellow St. Louis rapper Nelly in 2002, and signed with Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' record label, D ...
was hired as an opening act, while touring in support of Nellyville in 2002. Chingy had initially expressed discontent with the lack of promotion on the tour. Meanwhile, reports persisted that Nelly was increasingly irritated with Chingy's growth in fame, particularly when he signed with Ludacris' DTP label shortly following the tour. Nelly claimed he felt disrespected by Chingy's actions, claiming in a 2005 interview; ''"For him to say that 'Nelly and all them didn't take no part in him getting a deal', is like saying 'RUN DMC and them didn't take any part on me getting a deal', everybody that comes out tries to help the next motherfucker".'' Nelly dropped a verse on the song 'Anotha one' on his 2004 album
Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and Apocrine sweat gland, apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distribu ...
with a line in the song saying, ''I like it how you do it right thurr [there]/You just to remember why you do that right thurr, I made it tight to be country/ They thought country was bummy/ Till country start making money'' which was perceived by Chingy as a diss track. In an interview with Nelly in December 2004, he stated that he believed the lyrics were taken out of context, later claiming: ''"I wasn't going at him. If you listen to the song, it says, 'I like the way you do that right thurr.' I could have said, 'Fuck the way you do that right thurr!' It ain't even like that". Angered by the song, Chingy leaked a song in response taking aim at Nelly entitled 'We Got' on January 7, 2005. In December 2005 at the Radio Music Awards in Las Vegas, Chingy alleges he approached Nelly to end the feud, but claims he refused to discuss in private but was ignored repeatedly. Months later, Chingy approached Nelly's cousin, who allowed both rappers to put an end to the feud in 2006. During an interview in November 2022, Chingy alleged Nelly's sister Jackie had also approached him at an airport, diligent for both to resolve the feud prior to her death due to cancer complications in March 2005, claiming ''"At that point, she said she had a wish, and that wish was for me and him to come together... When I heard that, I had to end this; for her. This can't go on. She had a wish for this to happen, she really wanted me and her brother to be cool."''


Philanthropy

Nelly runs the non-profit organization 4Sho4Kids Foundation. In March 2003, he and Jackie Donahue, his sister, began the Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign, after Donahue was diagnosed with leukemia. The campaign attempts to educate African Americans and other minorities about the need for Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, bone marrow transplants. It also tries to register more donors. Donahue died of leukemia on March 24, 2005, almost two years after the campaign began. In 2006, Nelly started hosting a "White and Black Ball" in his hometown of St. Louis as a fundraiser to collect funds for scholarships. He has sent two students to college every year for over a decade, and set up a scholarship fund named after Shooting of Michael Brown, Michael Brown was shot and killed. In 2010, Nelly endorsed Do Something's Tackle Hunger campaign. In a public service announcement he filmed for the cause, he challenged teens to fight hunger by collecting one million pounds of food for the holiday season.


Legal issues


Misdemeanor drug-offense conviction (2015)

In April 2015, the Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop of Nelly's Prevost Car, Prevost tour bus, because of non-conforming U.S. Department of Transportation and International Fuel Tax Association stickers. He, a bus driver, and four other people were on board. After a state trooper said that he smelled marijuana, the troopers searched the bus and said that they found drug paraphernalia and marijuana, as well as a substance that they initially believed to be methamphetamine and several handguns.Kevin C. Johnson
Nelly, attorney issue statements on rapper's misdemeanor guilty plea
''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' (December 15, 2015).
He was initially booked into the Putnam County, Tennessee, Putnam County Jail and was released on bail. Nelly was initially charged with felony drug possession, simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. After further testing proved that the seized substance was not methamphetamine, the felony charge was dropped. In December 2015, the case was resolved when he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of marijuana and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, and was sentenced to one year probation. Nelly entered a diversion program, in which the misdemeanor convictions were cleared from his record after 11 months.


Tax lien (2016)

In 2016, it was reported that there was a $2.4 million tax lien against Nelly due to unpaid taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service, IRS.


Rape arrest (2017)

On October 7, 2017, Nelly was arrested in Auburn, Washington, a southern Seattle suburb, on suspicion of second-degree rape after a woman alleged that he invited her onto his tour bus earlier that morning and raped her.Daniel Kreps
Nelly Arrested on Rape Charge Following Seattle-Area Concert
''Rolling Stone'' (October 7, 2017).
Jayme Deerwester
Nelly released without charges after rape arrest; rapper will miss Saturday concert
''USA Today'' (October 8, 2017).
Nelly was booked into a Des Moines, Washington, jail and released from custody without charge. He denied wrongdoing; his attorney said that the accusation was "clearly false". On December 14, it was revealed Nelly would not be charged in the case because the alleged victim declined to cooperate. He also filed a countersuit claiming defamation. Both lawsuits were dropped after the parties reached a settlement in 2018. At the end of January 2018, Nelly was again accused of sexual assault after a gig at the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff-on-Sea, England, at the end of 2017. There was an additional allegation of assault reported at the time. In 2019, it was reported that he had reached a settlement with the woman who was at Cliffs Pavilion.


Drug and insurance arrest (2024)

On August 7, 2024, Nelly was arrested in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri on a failure-to-appear warrant. The warrant stemmed from an earlier traffic charge in Maryland Heights, Missouri. He was charged with possessing four MDMA, Ecstasy pills and lacking insurance. He was held and then released. His attorney said that Nelly was "targeted by an overzealous, out of line officer", and that his legal representation would ask for an inquiry into the arresting officer's conduct. It was acknowledged that this arrest was originally tied to an arrest warrant, which had been issued by a Judge in December 2023 for a no proof of insurance charge. The arrest was made after the December 2023 arrest warrant was discovered, following a required background check which occurred after Nelly scored jackpot wins at the Hollywood Casino and Hotel in Maryland Heights. After Nelly was pulled over and handcuffed, for the no proof of insurance charge, his car was searched, and the four ecstasy pills were discovered in his possession. According to a statement released by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the initial patrol contact with Nelly occurred during an "identification verification in accordance with the Missouri Gaming Commission regulations." The arrest warrant had been issued based on a June 2018 infraction, which involved Nelly operating a vehicle without proof of insurance. On November 12, 2024, Chris King, a spokesperson for the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, stated that Nelly would not face charges. King claimed that "We don't believe the facts in this case warrant the issuing of charges."


Discography

Studio albums * ''
Country Grammar ''Country Grammar'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Nelly. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Universal Records. The production on the album was handled by Jason "Jay E" Epperson, with additional production by C-Lov ...
'' (2000) * ''
Nellyville ''Nellyville'' is the second studio album by American rapper Nelly. It was released on June 25, 2002, by Universal Records and Fo' Reel Entertainment. The album's production was handled by Waiel Yaghnam, the Neptunes, Jay E, Trackboyz, Ryan ...
'' (2002) * ''
Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and Apocrine sweat gland, apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distribu ...
'' (2004) * ''
Suit A suit, also called a lounge suit, business suit, dress suit, or formal suit, is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt su ...
'' (2004) * ''
Brass Knuckles Brass knuckles (also referred to as brass knucks, knuckledusters, iron fist and paperweight, among other names) are a melee weapon used primarily in Hand to hand combat, hand-to-hand combat. They are fitted and designed to be worn around the kn ...
'' (2008) * ''
5.0 ''5.0'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nelly. It was released through Universal Motown Records (Universal Music Group) and Derrty (Universal Music Group) on November 12, 2010.
'' (2010) * '' M.O.'' (2013) * '' Heartland'' (2021)


Filmography


Film


Television


Video Games


References


Notes


External links

* * * {{Authority control Nelly, 1974 births Living people 20th-century American rappers 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American rappers 20th-century African-American businesspeople African-American investors African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers African-American record producers African-American sports executives and administrators American businesspeople in retailing American drink industry businesspeople American businesspeople in fashion American hip-hop record producers American hip-hop singers American investors American male film actors American male television actors American nonprofit businesspeople American philanthropists American sports executives and administrators Businesspeople from St. Louis Businesspeople from Texas Charlotte Bobcats owners Culture of St. Louis Grammy Award winners for rap music Male actors from St. Louis Male actors from Texas Midwest hip-hop musicians Musicians from St. Louis County, Missouri Pop rappers Rappers from Austin, Texas Rappers from St. Louis Record producers from Missouri Record producers from Texas Republic Records artists Shoe designers St. Lunatics members Universal Records artists Universal Motown Records artists World Music Awards winners 21st-century African-American businesspeople