Nelly

1979 Words4 Pages

In the summer of 2000, Cornell "Nelly" Haynes Jr. did the unbelievable. Nelly, an unknown rapper from St. Louis, Missouri, sold over a quarter of a million copies of his debut album, Country Grammar during its first week of release. On the strength of his first single "Country Grammar (Hot . . .)," the album would spend seven weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart. His subsequent hits, "E.I." and "Ride Wit Me," would push the album to over 9 million units sold domestically. Not bad for a kid no one had ever heard of before.

Two years later, in the summer of 2002, Nelly proved to be no one-hit wonder when his sophomore album Nellyville came in at the number one position on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. That same week, the rapper just happened to be controlling the top slot on ten separate Billboard charts as well. Nellyville went on to sell over 6 million records domestically and earn its creator two Grammy trophies for the singles "Hot In Herre" (Best Male Rap Solo) and "Dilemma" (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration).

In 2003, he released a platinum-selling remix album, Da Derrty Versions (The Reinvention). As a member of the St. Lunatics, comprised of Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan and Slo Down, he released the platinum-selling Free City in 2001. And last year, he picked up another Grammy for his collaboration with Murphy Lee and P. Diddy for "Shake Ya Tailfeather" (Best Rap Performance By A Duo or Group). Cumulatively, Nelly has sold close to 30 million singles/albums worldwide establishing him as one of the top-selling artists of our time.

On the music front, Nelly has expanded his role beyond that of just an artist. He is also the CEO of his own label, Derrty Entertainment, a venture with Universal Records that has seen success with release of his remix album and Murphy Lee's platinum-bound solo debut, Murphy's Law.

Nelly's risk taking, growth and diversity should come as no surprise. His career success can be directly linked to his willingness to go out on a limb. From the melodic singsong rap hybrid that has become his trademark to his business ventures, Cornell Haynes, Jr., has colored outside of traditional rap lines. He has Vokal and Apple Bottoms, the requisite man's and women's clothing lines. But the young man who was once seriously scouted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves --who still hoops at local community center in his hometown -- has continued to show his love for sports.

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