Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop group, St. Lunatics. He signed to Universal Records in 1999, releasing his solo debut album Country Grammar in June of the following year. Its title track and follow-up single "Ride wit Me" peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, while the album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200; it became Nelly's best-selling album to date, selling over 8.4 million copies in the United States. His second album, Nellyville (2002) spawned two consecutive number-one hits, "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma", along with the top-five single "Air Force Ones".
Torhi Harper, better known by his stage name Murphy Lee, is an American rapper, best known as a member of the hip hop group St. Lunatics. His debut album, Murphy's Law, peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200 music chart in October 2003. It was released on September 23, 2003, and was certified gold on November 17, 2003. It featured the single from the Bad Boys II Soundtrack "Shake Your Tailfeather".
Nellyville is the second studio album by American rapper and singer Nelly. It was released on June 25, 2002, by Universal Records and Fo' Reel Entertainment. The album's production was handled by Waiel Yaghnam, the Neptunes, Jay E, Trackboyz, Ryan Bowser, and Just Blaze. Two singles from Nellyville, "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma", both topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for respectively seven and ten weeks. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised the production.
Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention is a remix album by American rapper Nelly, released on November 25, 2003.
"Pimp Juice" is the fourth US and Canadian single by American rapper Nelly, released on March 10, 2003, from his 2002 album, Nellyville. The song peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100. It samples UGK's song Wood Wheel from their album Dirty Money.
"Work It" is a single by American rapper Nelly featuring American singer Justin Timberlake. It was released on February 24, 2003, as the fourth single from Nelly's 2002 album, Nellyville. It peaked at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number seven on the UK Singles Chart.
"Batter Up" is a song by American hip hop group St. Lunatics, with member Nelly credited as a featured artist. The track was produced by Steve "Blast" Wills and first appeared on Nelly's debut solo album, Country Grammar (2000). It was later included on the group's album Free City (2001) as a bonus track. A remixed version of "Batter Up" appears on Nelly's album Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention (2003).
"Grillz" is a song by American rapper Nelly featuring fellow American rappers Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp, and uncredited vocals from American singer Brandi Williams. The song was written by Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, Paul Wall, Ali, Gipp and James Phillips; it contains samples of Destiny's Child's "Soldier", written by Beyoncé Knowles, Kelendria Rowland, Tenitra Williams, Garrett Hamler, and Rich Harrison; it also contains samples of "Left Me Lonely" by MC Shan. Production was handled by Dupri. Following its release, it topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 20 in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.
"Welcome to Atlanta" is a 2002 hip hop song by Jermaine Dupri featuring Ludacris. It was released in 2002 as the second single released from Dupri's 2001 album Instructions and also appeared as a hidden track on Ludacris' second album, Word of Mouf. The song praises Dupri and Ludacris's hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. It samples "Five Minutes Of Funk" by Whodini, as well as "Do It Baby" by The Miracles.
"Girlfriend" is a pop and hip hop song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released on January 14, 2002, as the third single from their fourth studio album Celebrity. It was the group's last song to enter the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number five. "Girlfriend" additionally reached number one in Canada and charted within the top 10 in six other countries, including Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. This was the last single and song the band released in their career before their reunion in 2023.
"Big Shit Poppin' (Do It)" (edited for radio as "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)") is a song by American hip hop recording artist T.I., released on May 29, 2007, as the lead single from his fifth album T.I. vs. T.I.P. (2007). The song was produced by Mannie Fresh. The song was listed as No. 66 on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Best Songs of 2007" list.
American rapper and singer Nelly has released eight studio albums, two compilation albums, one remix album, three extended plays, two mixtapes, 49 singles, three promotional singles and 48 music videos. He was also a member of the hip hop group St. Lunatics, which included fellow rappers Ali, City Spud, Murphy Lee, and Kyjuan. Nelly has sold a total of 21,815,000 albums in the US as of June 2014, making him the fourth bestselling rap artist in the country.
Free City is the only studio album by hip-hop group St. Lunatics. It was released on June 5, 2001, almost a full year after the release of group member Nelly's debut, Country Grammar. The album was a commercial success as it debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 with 196,000 copies sold in its first week. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA a month later.
Jason Lee Epperson is an American record producer and DJ from St. Louis, Missouri. He first became known as the producer of hometown native Nelly's 2000 debut album Country Grammar, which received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. Thereafter, he produced heavily for Nelly and his collaborators, signing to his record label, Derrty Entertainment as an in-house producer. He has produced songs for other artists including Murphy Lee, St. Lunatics, Justin Timberlake, E-40, Cedric the Entertainer, Lil Wayne, Ron Isley, Three 6 Mafia, and Hilary Duff. Epperson's style is characterized by hip hop mixed with soul, R&B, and pop music. Billboard magazine, in its December 2000 issue, listed Epperson at number sixteen on its "Top 100 Producers" list, as well as number nineteen on its "Top 100 R&B/Hip Hop Producers of 2000" list. He's received a Grammy Award nomination.
The Best of Nelly is a compilation album by rapper Nelly, released in Japan on February 4, 2009.
State Property is the soundtrack to the 2002 film, State Property, as well as the debut album by the rap group, State Property. Selling 51,500 copies in its first week, the album was a success, making it to 14 on the Billboard 200, 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and 2 on the Top Soundtracks, and spawned one single "Roc the Mic", which was a minor hit, making it to 55 on the Billboard Hot 100. The remix to "Roc The Mic" features St. Louis rappers Nelly & Murphy Lee of the St. Lunatics and was included on rapper Nelly's 2002 album, "Nellyville" as a radio-only single.
The Source Presents: Hip Hop Hits, Volume 7 is the seventh annual music compilation album to be contributed by The Source magazine. Released December 9, 2003, and distributed by Def Jam Recordings, Hip Hop Hits Volume 7 features fifteen hip hop and rap hits. It went to number 49 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and number 86 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
"Roc the Mic" is the first single to be released from the soundtrack of the 2002 crime film State Property and was performed by Beanie Sigel and Freeway. The single was so far the highest-charting single from both rappers making it to #55 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Like a Pimp" is a song by David Banner, released in 2003 from Mississippi: The Album. The song features fellow rapper Lil Flip and its accompanying music video was directed by Bernard Gourley. A portion of the song's chorus is interpolated from the UGK song "Take It Off" from their 2001 album Dirty Money as well as The Showboy's "Drag Rap (Triggerman)". It is recognized as one of Banner's signature songs along with "Play" and "Get Like Me". A remix of the song featuring Busta Rhymes and Twista appears on Banner's follow-up album MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water.
