Nelly

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Nelly

Background information
Birth name Cornell Haynes Jr.
Born November 2, 1974 (1974-11-02) (age 33)
Origin St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Genre(s) Hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, singer, actor
Years active 2000-present
Label(s) Derrty, Universal
Website Nelly.net

Cornell Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974),[1] better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1996 and was signed to Universal Records in 2000. Under Universal, Nelly has four solo studio albums released in his name and several number-one hits.[1] Highly successful, Nelly has sold over 20 million records in the United States.[2] He also won Grammy Awards in 2003 and 2004.[3] He also starred in the 2005 remake film The Longest Yard alongside Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. In addition, Nelly played in the Main Event at the 2007 World Series of Poker.[4] He is also one of the owners of the Charlotte Bobcats, along with Robert L. Johnson and NBA legend Michael Jordan.[5]

Contents

[edit] Early life and career

After moving to suburban University City, Nelly formed the group St. Lunatics with his friends in the surrounding area. The group had a local hit in 1996 with the self-produced single "Gimme What You Got". After much frustration and failed attempts to be signed to a record deal, the members of St. Lunatics felt that Nelly would have a better shot at success as a solo act, to gain recognition first as a soloist and then bring in the rest of his group, the St. Lunatics in the time to come.[1]

[edit] Solo career

[edit] Country Grammar

Main article: 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 led to the album debuting at the third spot in the Billboard 200 in the U.S. Other singles from the album included "E.I.", "Ride Wit Me", and "Batter Up". Free City, which Nelly recorded with the St. Lunatics, followed in 2001 with the hit single "Midwest Swing"; Nelly also recorded a track titled "#1" for the soundtrack to the film Training Day that year. [1]

[edit] Nellyville

Main article: Nellyville

In 2002, Nelly's second album Nellyville was released and reached number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart; its lead single "Hot in Herre" was also 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, and "Pimp Juice".[1] A music video of his titled "Tip Drill", which was distributed only on the Internet and underground rap video outlets, became a source of controversy due to perceptions of misogynistic depictions of women in the video. The controversy forced Nelly to cancel an appearance at a bone marrow drive in Spelman College, a historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia.[6] Similar claims of misogyny also surrounded Nelly's single "Pimp Juice".[7]

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 the Nike Air Max2 CB '94 which was released in 2003 at select NIKE town stores in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as well the Squad 1 shoe store in St. Louis, Nelly's hometown.[8] He later made a deal with Reebok, stating, "I’ve always been into sneakers and throughout my career I’ve always wanted to have a signature pair of sneakers that truly reflect my personal style. It made the most sense for me to partner with Reebok because they fully understand and respect the culture of sports, music and entertainment."[9]

At the 2003 Grammys, he received two awards; one for Best Male Rap Solo Performance, and another shared with Kelly Rowland for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.[3] Additionally, Nelly won the 2003 American Music Award for "Fan's Choice" and received four other nominations.[10] He won his third Grammy in 2004 for his and P. Diddy's guest vocals in Murphy Lee's number-one hit single "Shake Ya Tailfeather" from Lee's album Murphy's Law.[3]

The Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign began in March 2003 by Nelly and his sister Jackie Donahue, after she was diagnosed with leukemia, in a search for donors. Donahue died in March 2005, almost exactly two years after the campaign began.[11]

[edit] Sweat / Suit

Further information: Sweat (album), Suit (album), Sweatsuit (album)

On September 14, 2004, Nelly released two albums simultaneously, 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 in the same week. From the Suit album, the slow ballad "Over and Over", an unlikely duet with country music star Tim McGraw, became another crossover hit.[12] On the 2004 NBC television concert special Tim McGraw: Here and Now, McGraw and Nelly performed the song.[13] A minor feud with another St. Louis-based rapper, Chingy, came up near the end of the year.[14]

Tsunami Aid: A Concert for Hope, a 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake benefit concert special produced by NBC featured Nelly in its lineup.[15] In the winter of 2005 came Sweatsuit, a compilation album consisting of selected tracks from Sweat and Suit and well as three new tracks including "Grillz", another number-one hit.

Also in 2005, Nelly was featured on The Notorious B.I.G.'s posthumous song "Nasty Girl" alongside Jagged Edge, P. Diddy and Avery Storm. "Nasty Girl" was on the Notorious B.I.G's posthumously released album Duets: The Final Chapter, and Nelly's own Sweatsuit. Nelly was also featured on the track "To the Floor" on Mariah Carey's 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi.

Then in 2006, he was featured on "Call on Me", Janet Jackson's first single from her 20 Y.O. album.

[edit] Brass Knuckles

Main article: Brass Knuckles (album)

In 2007, he appeared on tracks for the albums Double Up by R. Kelly and T.I. vs. T.I.P. by T.I.. He also appeared on Ashanti's track "Switch". A street single called "Cut It Out" was released later that year for his upcoming album, Brass Knuckles, which will be released on September 16, 2008 after several delays,[16] Initial release dates for the album targeted October 16[17] and November 13[18] but was never intended for the album.

Its original lead single was "Wadsyaname", a ballad-oriented track produced by Neff-U and sampling the piano riff from the R&B song "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo.[18][17] Nelly later confirmed that "Wadsyaname" was never going to be on 'Brass Knuckles'. He explained, he "had to turn in a single, but not the whole album". Nelly then recorded a song called "Party People"[17] featuring Fergie and produced by Polow da Don which turned out to be his first official single off the album.[16] "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 him and Ashanti.

At the Brass Knuckles listening party at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on the weekend of June 7, 2008, Nelly brought up the possibility of forming a supergroup with Akon and Pharrell.[19] He also mentioned that he might work on a collaboration album with rapper T.I. [20]

[edit] Vokal

Vokál was launched in 1997 as a Hip Hop Fashion brand by Yomi Martin, his cousin Cornell "Nelly" Haynes and Nick Loftis.[21] They wanted to launch a new brand which was not driven by big marketing budgets and that did not have standard logos and designs. Yomi and Nelly were looking for a new innovative brand with daring and unique designs where the clothes speak for themselves.

For their first production they each paid $100 to have 30 T-shirts made featuring the St. Lunatics.[22] The St. Lunatics are a rap crew from St. Louis, Missouri formed by rapper Nelly and his hometown friends. Yomi Martin sold the shirts for $20 each at a concerts of the St. Lunatics. With these sales of these shirts and jerseys at concerts and out of car trunks Vokál began selling successfully within the county limits of St. Louis.

While Yomi Martin was focussing on the Clothing line, Nelly focussed on his musical career and that of his group St. Lunatics. Over time, Vokál was officially creating custom jerseys for superstar and co-founder Cornell "Nelly" Haynes Jr, as well as his cousin's Hip Hop group, the St. Lunatics. [23] With the group's name growing in popularity, Vokál even began touring with the St. Lunatics, representing Vokál and selling clothing after the St. Lunatic's events. Many people wanted to buy what the then, independent artists were wearing. Not only consumers started wearing Vokál but also other independent artists and athletes.

When Nelly’s debut album Country Grammar (2000) spent 7 weeks on top of the U.S. Album Charts and went 9 times platinum, fuelled by the enormous success of the title track.[24] With this debut Vokál was instantly known in the entire United States, Vokál essentially grew right along with the career of Nelly and the St. Lunatics.

The first official collection was launched in 2001 and while Nelly was extremely busy he still had a great influence on the collection for Vokál. This paid off right away because the sales immediately skyrocketed. Not only consumers started wearing Vokál but also other independent artists and athletes. In 2007 Vokál started its European collection.

[edit] Brand name

The clothing label, titled Vokál, stands for "very organized kids always learning".[25]

Being Vokal simply means, let your actions do the talking in a positive manner. [26] Both Nelly en Yomi Martin wanted to produce clothing where the designs would be so strong the clothing would speak for itself. That’s why the slogan is ‘Vokál, the clothing speaks for itself’.

" Vokál means `speak for yourself' and this clothing speaks for itself," says Nelly.

[edit] Vokál gear

At the time, Vokál 's team of Yomi and Nelly were creating pieces that were mainly inspired by the home metro, St. Louis, Missouri.[27] They were looking for a new innovative brand that would stand out for its daring and unique designs.

Vokál thrives to have an universal appeal by developing products that can relate to the masses. Vokál started by selling shirts and hats in nightclubs, at events, and literally out of the trunk of the car. This old fashion-selling channel created a buzz and a Vokál explosion in St. Louis. Just three years after the company was established, Vokál had sold more than 50,000 shirts and was well on its way.

"Like Nelly and the music he makes, the designs of Vokál are edgy, unique and daring with much attention paid to detail," Yomi Martin said.[28] Innovative denim wear and trendy T-shirts are just some of the items in the broad array of fashions in the Vokál line. Vokál wants to set the hottest trends for young menswear. The men line takes a creative and different approach to casual urban clothing.[29]

"Keep an eye on what I'm wearing," says Nelly. "I'll always be dressed in Vokál." [30]

[edit] Distribution

Vokal is sold in selected stores in America and Europe.

[edit] Acting career

He was featured in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.[31] This hit was a smaller blockbuster and racked up a good promising future for this hip hop star. The film debuted at number three at the American box office behind Star Wars Episode III and Madagascar (the latter of which also stars Chris Rock) and became MTV Films' most successful release, grossing over US$100 million in the U.S. alone. Nelly also completed a song for the soundtrack, "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."[32]

[edit] Discography

Main article: Nelly discography

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Birchmeier, Jason (2006). "Nelly - Biography". All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
  2. ^ "Top Selling Artists".
  3. ^ a b c "Nelly - Grammy Awards". All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
  4. ^ "Day 3 of the main event of the World Series of Poker", USA Today (2007-07-08). Retrieved on 2008-05-19. 
  5. ^ NBA (2004-07-19). "Robert L. Johnson Adds Nelly To Bobcats Ownership Team". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  6. ^ Arce, Rose (2005-03-03). "Hip-hop portrayal of women protested", CNN. Retrieved on 2008-04-26. 
  7. ^ D'Angelo, Joe (2003-09-10). "Nelly's Pimp Juice Threatened By Anti-Pimp Campaign", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-04-26. 
  8. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Deftones, Kimberly Caldwell, 50 Cent, Michelle Branch, Hanson, The Roots & More", MTV News (2003-05-02). Retrieved on 2008-04-26. 
  9. ^ "Nelly's New Sneaker & Apparel Deal With Reebok". NobodySmiling.com (2005-07-20). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
  10. ^ "Ashanti, Mary J. Blige, Outkast and Nelly take home American Music Awards", Jet, FindArticles.com (2003-02-03). Retrieved on 2008-04-26. 
  11. ^ "Rapper Nelly's sister dies of leukemia", USA Today, Associated Press (2005-03-24). Retrieved on 2008-05-09. 
  12. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2004-12-06). "Tim McGraw On Nelly Duet: 'Nothin' Country About The Song, But It Was Fun'", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-04-26. 
  13. ^ Barrett, Annie (2004-11-26), "Television Commentary - Wednesday", Entertainment Weekly (794), <http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,784934,00.html> 
  14. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2005-01-07). "Chingy Fires Back At Nelly And Luda, Drops New Dis Track", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-04-26. 
  15. ^ Rashbaum, Alyssa (2005-01-11). "Nelly, Maroon 5, Madonna, Mary J. Blige Join Tsunami Benefit Show", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-04-26. 
  16. ^ a b Rodriguez, Jayson (2008-04-02). "Nelly Lines up Usher, Fergie and Akon for Brass Knuckles -- but No Bruce Springsteen", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-04-27. 
  17. ^ a b c Reid, Shaheem (2007-08-22). "T.I., Akon, Snoop, Pimp C Get Behind Nelly's Brass Knuckles", MTV News. Retrieved on 2007-08-22. 
  18. ^ a b "Coming attractions: Nelly's ready to crack his 'Knuckles'", USA Today (2007-09-06). Retrieved on 2007-09-09. 
  19. ^ Hale, Andreas (2008-06-09). "Nelly, Akon & Pharrell To Form Supergroup?". HipHopDX.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-06.
  20. ^ "Exclusive: Nelly and T.I. Planning Joint Album". Rap-Up (2008-07-30). Retrieved on 2008-08-05.
  21. ^ St. Louis Business Journal, Friday, June 24, 2005 by Rick Desloge
  22. ^ St. Louis Business Journal, Friday, June 24, 2005 by Rick Desloge
  23. ^ Vokál clothing
  24. ^ Billboard, March 18, 2000
  25. ^ St. Louis Business Journal, Friday, June 24, 2005 by Rick Desloge
  26. ^ Nelly to make appearance at magic 2005 for vokal and apple bottoms
  27. ^ Vokál clothing
  28. ^ Business Wire,[1] August 23, 2002
  29. ^ Business Wire [2] August 23 2001
  30. ^ Business Wire,[3] August 23, 2001
  31. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (2004-09-27), "The Rapper Who Likes Bowling", Time 164(13), <http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,995224,00.html> 
  32. ^ Horowitz, Steven, Exclusive Nelly Interview, <http://kiwibox.com/article/36913/3> 

[edit] External links

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Nelly
Album
Country Grammar (2000) · Nellyville (2002) · Sweat (2004) · Suit (2004) · Brass Knuckles (2008) · Untitled (w/ T.I.) (2009)
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Singles
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