Nelly

For 24 years, Nelly has been connecting generations with his exuberant anthems, fusing musical genres, and engaging in multiple entertainment mediums including music, television, and film. The diamond selling, multi-platinum, 3x Grammy award-winning rap superstar, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and actor, Nelly, has continuously raised the bar for the entertainment industry since stepping on the scene in 2000 with his distinctive vocals and larger-than-life personality.

Nelly strives to be a trailblazer and to be the first to make his mark in every category such as being the first hip hop artist to blur the musical genres of Hip Hop and Country with the chart-topping hit “Over and Over” with Tim McGraw. He was also the first HipHop artist to accompany the most prestigious orchestras including St. Louis, Columbus and Pittsburgh, again blending musical styles and garnering great reviews. Nelly also added sports commentator to his list of accomplishments with Fox Sports which made him one of the first actors with three television shows airing at one time with Fox Sports, his reality show "Nellyville" and "BETs Real Husbands." And who can forget his time in "DWTS" and his film debut in The Longest Yard. He continues to set records with sold-out tours and appearances across the globe. His newest “first” is his own brand of moonshine, aptly named “MoShine” using the star’s well-known nickname “Mo” in the name, which he just launched in April.

Nelly’s music history is lengthy beginning with his solo career in the year 2000, with his commercial debut album Country Grammar, of which the featured title track and the single "Ride wit Me" were top 10 hits. His following album Nellyville produced the number-one hits "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma" (featuring Kelly Rowland), along with the top five single "Air Force Ones," with the same-day dual release of Sweat and Suit (2004) and the compilation Sweatsuit (2006), Nelly continued to generate many chart-topping hits. Nelly's fifth studio album, Brass Knuckles, was released in 2008 producing 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", was certified triple platinum by RIAA; it also spawned the singles "Move That Body" (featuring T-Pain and Akon) and "Gone" (featuring Kelly Rowland). In 2003, Nelly released a hit single "Iz U" from the soundtrack to Walt Disney's The Haunted Mansion. his newest album HEARTLAND, making Billboard’s top ten Country Album Charts, double platinum certification for “Lil Bit” featuring Florida Georgia Line, “Cruise” being the best-selling country digital song of 2014, “Nellyville” garnering Diamond certification while “Dilemma” marked 1 billion views on YouTube. Nelly’s Country Grammar album, Nellyville album and his song “Cruise” with FGL have all achieved Diamond status. Nelly has recorded with and performed with other talent such as Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson, Kelly Rowland, Florida Georgia Line, Breland, Blano Brown, T.I., and so many more.

“Hot in Herre” continues to be one of the most commercially used songs in history with Burger King tapping NELLY to be featured in their newest campaign with his personal meal- “Cornell Haynes Jr” and Lays Potato Chips used Nelly and “Hot in Herre” in their latest commercial. Nelly has been a pitchman for iconic brands/campaigns such as Reebok, Got Milk? and the Ford Motor Compan. He dressed the Honey Bee for Cheerios and he and the owners of Mike and Ike released a movie trailer titled "The Return of Mike and Ike."

Nelly performed on 2023's Grammy’s tribute to 50 years of Hip Hop and the music mogul has also left his mark in other aspects of the industry, introducing his hugely successful women’s clothing line, Apple Bottoms. Currently he supports Make a Wish and provides education surrounding the music industry and provides scholarships for the last 18 years.