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 with Universal Records as a solo act in 1999 to release his debut studio album, Country Grammar (2000). Its lead single "Country Grammar " and follow-up, "Ride wit Me",, both entered the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. The album peaked atop the Billboard 200 and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second album, Nellyville (2002), spawned two consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma", along with the top-five single, "Air Force Ones".
St. Lunatics were an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down.
Torhi Harper better known by his stage name Murphy Lee, is an American rapper who is best known as a member of the St. Louis, Missouri-based hip hop group, St. Lunatics. Following the commercial success of its lead member Nelly in the early 2000s, Lee signed with his label Derrty Entertainment, an imprint of Universal Records to release his debut studio album, Murphy's Law (2003). It peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-number one single "Shake Your Tailfeather", which was also included on the accompanying soundtrack to the 2003 film Bad Boys II.
"Hot in Herre" is a song by American rapper Nelly, released as the lead single from his second album Nellyville (2002). It was released on May 7, 2002, by Universal Records. It was written by Nelly, Charles Brown, and the producers the Neptunes. It features additional vocals by former labelmate Dani Stevenson and incorporates Chuck Brown's 1979 single "Bustin' Loose". "Hot in Herre" is widely considered to be Nelly's signature song along with the worldwide hit "Dilemma".
Gabriele "Gabry" Ponte is an Italian musician, DJ and producer, also known for his membership in the Italian dance band Eiffel 65.
"Air Force Ones" is a song by American rapper Nelly, from his second album Nellyville. It was released on November 4, 2002, and features fellow St. Lunatics rappers Kyjuan, Ali and Murphy Lee. The song was the third top 5 hit from Nellyville on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 3. Its video, whose exteriors were shot at the SE corner of Delmar and Westgate in University City, Missouri, featured St. Louis professional athletes Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, D'Marco Farr, Ray Lankford, and Ozzie Smith, and hip hop artists Big Tymers and WC.
"Tilt Ya Head Back" is a song by American recording artists Nelly and Christina Aguilera, taken from Nelly's album Sweat (2004). The song was released to US radio stations on September 15, 2004, as the second single from the album. Written by Nelly, Dorian Moore and Tegemold Newton and produced by Doe Mo' Beats, "Tilt Ya Head Back" is a hip hop and pop number that features a sample of Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly".
Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention is a remix album by American rapper Nelly, released on November 25, 2003.
"My Place" is a song by American rapper Nelly featuring R&B singer Jaheim. It is the lead single from Nelly's fourth studio album, Suit (2004). The song is about Nelly inviting a girl over to his house, and the female backing vocals are provided by Kim Johnson. The track samples three songs: Labelle's "Isn't It a Shame", DeBarge's "I Like It", and Teddy Pendergrass's "Come Go with Me", so the respective songwriters are given credits.
"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).
"Ride wit Me" is a song by American rapper Nelly featuring City Spud. It was released on February 13, 2001, as the third single from Nelly's debut studio album, Country Grammar (2000). "Ride wit Me" peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Ride wit Me" was a hit in Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
"E.I." is a song by American rapper Nelly. Released as the second single on October 17, 2000, from his debut album Country Grammar, it peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and 16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. A remix of the song, called "Tip Drill", was released in 2003 along with lyrics and a music video that drew controversy for its misogynistic themes.
"Country Grammar (Hot Shit)" (also known as "Country Grammar (Hot...) "in the clean version, and released as a single under the title (Hot S**t) Country Grammar) is the debut single of American rapper Nelly. The song was written by Nelly and Jason "Jay E" Epperson, who also produced the track. Released on February 29, 2000, as the lead single from Nelly's 2000 debut album, Country Grammar, the single peaked at number seven in both the United States and the United Kingdom and reached the top 20 in Australia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands.
"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.
Kinfolk is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Ali & Gipp, consisting of Ali Jones of St. Lunatics and Big Gipp of Goodie Mob. It was released on August 14, 2007 through Universal Motown. Production was handled by DJ Speedy, Stee, The Trak Starz, T-Wayne, Dallas Austin, Jay E, Jasper Cameron, Jermaine Dupri, Nitti and Trife. It features guest appearances from Nelly, Murphy Lee, Avery Storm, Big Rube, Bun B, CeeLo Green, Chocolate Tai, David Banner, Jasper Cameron, Juvenile, Kyjuan, LeToya Luckett, Lloyd, Tamala Jones and Three 6 Mafia. The album peaked at number 174 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
Anouar Hajoui, better known as DJ Cut Killer or simply Cut Killer, is a Moroccan-born French DJ and record producer with a versatile repertoire of hip hop music.
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.
Chaylon Brewster, better known as Nevski, is a Canadian born music producer who has created sound for the likes of Mike Dean, Tanya Herron, Prentiss Church and Nelly's label, Derrty Ent.
Jason Lee Epperson is an American record producer and DJ from St. Louis, Missouri. He first became known as the primary producer of hometown native Nelly's 2000 debut album Country Grammar, which received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Thereafter, he produced extensively for Nelly and his collaborators, and signed with his record label, Derrty Entertainment as in-house talent. He has since 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 16 on its "Top 100 Producers" list, as well as number 19 on its "Top 100 R&B/Hip Hop Producers of 2000" list. He has received a Grammy Award nomination.
Ralph Di Stasio, better known by his stage name Avery Storm, is an American singer from Fair Lawn, New Jersey. He is best known for his guest appearance alongside Nelly on Rick Ross' 2008 single "Here I Am," which peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. Prior, he signed with Nelly's Derrty Entertainment in 2005 and guest appeared alongside him, P. Diddy, and Jagged Edge on the Notorious B.I.G.'s posthumous single, "Nasty Girl" that same year.
