Nelly

Fun Fact: He was featured in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.

Claim to Fame: 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 led to the album debuting at the third spot in the Billboard 200 in the U.S.

Cornell Haynes, Jr., 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 and the same-day dual release Sweat and Suit and compilation Sweatsuit, Nelly continued to generate many chart-topping hits. He won Grammy Awards in 2003 and 2004 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.


Nelly was born in Austin, Texas 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".


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 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".


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. Similar claims of misogyny also surrounded Nelly's single "Pimp Juice".RIAA have certified the album Platinum.


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. 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, 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.

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