Nelly

Background

Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., better known professionally as Nelly, is an American singer, rapper, and serial entrepreneur whose talents have won him millions of fans worldwide. He was born on November 2, 1974, and his birthplace is in Austin, Texas. Nelly is of African-American, Italian, and Jamaican descent. He is also a Scorpio. Nelly’s father served in the Air Force for most of his childhood. However, after his parent’s divorce, he moved with his mother from St. Louis to University City, where he attended high school. During high school, Nelly formed St. Lunatics with his friends and released the single ‘Gimme What Ya Got’ in 1996. However, the group struggled to achieve success outside of St. Louis.

Nelly signed with Universal Music Group in 1999. In February 2000, he released his debut single, ‘County Grammar (Hot Shit).’ The single peaked at number seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and became a success. His debut studio album, “County Grammar,” followed suit and was released by the label in June. The album was a commercial success and became certified 9x platinum by the R.I.A.A. The singer released his second studio album, “Nellyville,” in 2002, and it debuted at number one on Billboard’s Top 200 Music Albums. The album featured Nelly’s hit single ‘Hot in Herre,’ which was a global number-one hit, and ‘Dilemma’ with Kelly Rowland, which sold 7.6 million copies worldwide. “Nellyville” became 6x R.I.A.A. platinum-certified and won multiple awards. In 2004, the singer released two albums, “Sweat” and “Suit.” The latter debuted at number one on the Billboard albums chart, meanwhile, “Sweat” took second place. In 2010, he released his sixth studio album, “5.0,” which featured the hit track, ‘Just a Dream.’

Nelly has an enviable career. He has eight studio albums to his credit, with the most recent, “Heartland,” released in 2021. This singer has had a reality T.V. show and starred in films since 2001, including “The Longest Yard” (2005), and was the main cast member of “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” which ran for five seasons. Nelly has done it all; music, film, television, and many more. He had a Nike sneaker deal and another one with Reebok. He owns the Apple Bottoms clothing line, has played at the event of the World Series of Poker, and released a fitness D.V.D. He’s a celebrated serial entrepreneur, a three-time Grammy award-winning singer/rapper, and a Billboard-ranked Top Artist of the 2000s. Nelly’s personal life is public, and he’s been linked to several ladies. However, his most recent and public relationship was with Shantel Jackson, but the pair split in 2021. Nelly is currently single but has two children.