Cornell
Haynes, Jr. “aka” Nelly was born on November 2, 1978, in Austin, Texas. Nelly’s growing years
were spent
living with various family members.
After living in Spain for a brief period he and his mother settled in a
suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, called "University City". The talented baseball player
could have easily found a worthy spot on the diamond of any professional
baseball team, but opted instead to pursue the field of rap music. Haynes formed the “St. Lunatics” rap crew
along with his other high school posse (Kyjuan, City Spud, Murphy Lee, Ali and
Jason).
In 1996, the St. Lunatics
recorded their first hit single entitled, “Gimme What Ya Want” that found
success with a local following, but none of the major labels took notice. In 1999, Nelly pursued a solo career and
eventually signed with Universal Records. His growing popularity helped to
propel his breakout debut album entitled, “Country Grammar”. The album featured a sleek tailor-made
rhythmic style virtually unheard of in the urban R&B market.
The album “Country Grammar” has sold more than 9 million copies worldwide, and garnered various awards, including four Grammy nominations. Two for “Best Rap Solo Performance” (“Ride Wit Me” and “Country Grammar”), and “Best Rap/Song Collaboration” (“Where The Party At”, with Jagged Edge, and “Best Rap Album” (“Country Album”). It has also won two “Source Awards”, MTV Video Music Award, BET, American Music Award, and “Soul Train Awards”. People Magazine also voted Nelly as one of “People Magazine’s “Breakthrough” talents for 2001.
On
June 25, 2002, Nelly released his long awaited follow-up entitled "Nellyville".
It virtually took the airwaves by storm, and has presently spawned several hits
such as, "Hot In Herre", "Pimp Juice", "Dilemma",
"Air Force Ones", and etc.
The twenty-four
hip-hop/rap-extraordinaire feels most at home with his posse, which includes
his friends (Kyjuan, Murphy Lee, Slow Down, Keith, and Boo.
