Nelly

70
Nelly bigraphy, stories - Rapper, actor

Nelly : biography

November 2, 1974 –

Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name, Nelly, is an American rapper, entrepreneur and occasional actor from St. Louis, Missouri. He has performed with Southern hip hop 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 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 number-one hits "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma" (featuring Kelly Rowland). Other singles included "Work It" (featuring Justin Timberlake), "Air Force Ones" (featuring Murphy Lee and St. Lunatics), "Pimp Juice" and "#1".

With the same-day dual release Sweat and Suit (2004) and the compilation 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, was released on September 16, 2008, after several delays. It produced the singles "Party People" (featuring Fergie), "Stepped on My J’z" (featuring Jermaine Dupri and Ciara) and "Body on Me" (featuring Akon and Ashanti). In 2010, Nelly released the album 5.0. The lead single, "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" (featuring T-Pain and Akon). "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 with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. He has two clothing lines, Vokal and Apple Bottoms. He has been referred to by 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

Discography

Studio albums
  • Country Grammar (2000)
  • Nellyville (2002)
  • Sweat (2004)
  • Suit (2004)
  • Brass Knuckles (2008)
  • 5.0 (2010)
  • M.O. (2013)
Collaboration albums
  • Free City (2001) – with St. Lunatics
  • Who’s the Boss (2006) – with St. Lunatics
  • City Free (TBA) – with St. Lunatics
Remix albums
  • Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention (2003)
Compilation albums
  • Sweatsuit (2005)
  • The Best of Nelly (2009)
Extended plays
  • 6 Derrty Hits (2008)
  • 6 Pack (2010)
Mixtapes
  • 3000 & 9 Shit (2009) – with Ocean’s 7
  • O.E.MO (2011)
  • Scorpio Season (2012)

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 starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. 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, Nelly appeared in episodes of the CBS crime drama CSI: NY.. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 22 November 2009. In 2011, he made a cameo appearance on 90210.