Song:Dilemma
Album:Nellyville
Rapper Cornell "Nelly" Haynes Jr. was one of the top selling recording artists of the 00s. He had a strong run from 2000-2005 including the 2003 chart topper Dilemma featuring Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child. These days he's probably better known for his reality TV show. He was born Nov. 2, 1974 in Austin, TX. His father was in the military. When his parents divorced, he moved with his mom to St. Louis. While in high school, Nelly rapped and played baseball. After regional success with his group St. Lunatics, Nelly signed a solo deal with Universal Motown in 2000. Universal A & R director Kevin Law did a very smart thing by emphasizing Nelly's St. Louis roots. His 2000 debut CD Country Grammar was a huge success. It was certified 9XPlatinum and the singles Country Grammar and Ride Wit' Me were top ten pop hits. His 2002 CD Nellyville was just as successful and Hot In Herre was Nelly's first number one single. It was immediately followed by Dilemma which also topped the charts. Dilemma was a late addition to Nellyville. The album was already finished. Producer Ryan Bowser played a skeleton track for Nelly which was based on the 1984 Patti LaBelle hit Love, Need and Want You. Bowser is a St. Louis guy. Nelly decided to add a female vocal to the record so he called Kelly Rowland who he had met while on tour. She was launching a solo career anyway. After the album was released, radio programmers took a liking to Dilemma. So Universal decided to release it as the second single. The song appeared on Nellyville and Kelly's debut solo CD Simply Deep. It was her first solo appearance so it really helped her. The only Nelly comp available was released only in Japan. Both Nellyville and Simply Deep are available as budget CDs. Nelly scored two more number one hits with Shake Ya Tailfeather in 2003 and Grillz in 2005. But by the end of the decade, he had faded and his albums weren't selling anymore. He was getting more into acting with a recurring role on the TV series CSI: NY. Currently Nelly stars in the BET reality series Nellyville. He has released a couple of singles. But it is not yet known if he is planning to release a new CD. He still tours. Here's the video for Dilemma by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland. And yes, that is Patti LaBelle playing Kelly's mother.
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