Nelly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nelly
Nelly in 2007
Born	Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (1974-11-02) November 2, 1974 (age 50) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Education	University City High School
Occupation	Rapper singer songwriter actor
Years active	1993–present
Works	Discography filmography
Spouse(s)	Ashanti ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	5
Family	City Spud (half-brother) Yomi Martin (cousin)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Genres	Midwestern hip hop pop rap R&B pop country rap
Labels	RECORDS Columbia Derrty Republic Universal Motown Universal
Signature

Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), known as Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He started his music career in 1993 with the group St. Lunatics. In 1999, he signed with Universal Records as a solo artist.

His first album, Country Grammar (2000), was a huge success. ..... The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold millions of copies. His second album, Nellyville (2002), had two number-one songs: "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma" (with Kelly Rowland).

Nelly released two albums on the same day in 2004, Sweat and Suit. Both albums were very popular. His later albums include Brass Knuckles (2008) and 5.0 (2010). The song "Just a Dream" from 5.0 was a big hit. Nelly has won many awards, including three Grammy Awards. He has also acted in movies like The Longest Yard.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Growing Up and Starting Music

Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. was born on November 2, 1974, in Austin, Texas. His parents divorced when he was seven. As a teenager, Nelly moved with his mother to University City, near St. Louis.

In high school, Nelly formed the group St. Lunatics with his friends. The group became popular in Missouri with their song "Gimme What Ya Got" in 1996. Even though they were popular locally, they found it hard to get a major record deal.

Nelly Goes Solo

The group decided to let Nelly try a solo career. In 1999, Nelly signed with Universal Music Group. At first, some people at the record label were not sure about his music. Nelly was unique because he was a rapper from the Midwest, while most hip-hop artists were from the East Coast, West Coast, or South.

The label used this to promote him as a star from the Midwest. ..... It reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in the UK singles chart. This success made the label confident in Nelly, and they started working on his first album.

Music Success

Country Grammar and Nellyville

Nelly's first album, Country Grammar, came out in 2000. It quickly became very popular, reaching number three on the Billboard 200 chart. Other hit songs from the album included "E.I." and "Ride wit Me". By 2004, the album had sold over 9 million copies. In January 2001, Nelly performed at the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show.

In 2002, Nelly released his second album, Nellyville. This album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Its main song, "Hot in Herre", was a number-one hit. Another popular song was "Dilemma", which featured Kelly Rowland and sold millions of copies worldwide. Nellyville was also very successful, selling over 6 million copies. "Hot in Herre" won a Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance in 2003.

In 2003, Nelly released Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention. This album included the song "Iz U" from the movie The Haunted Mansion. For the Bad Boys II movie soundtrack, Nelly contributed the song "Shake Ya Tailfeather" with Diddy and Murphy Lee. This song also became a number-one hit and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2004.

Sweat, Suit, and Brass Knuckles

In February 2004, Nelly performed at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show for the second time. On September 14, 2004, he released two albums at once: Sweat and Suit. Suit focused more on R&B music and debuted at number one on the Billboard albums chart. Sweat was more rap-focused and debuted at number two.

A popular song from Suit was "Over and Over", a duet with country music star Tim McGraw. In 2005, Nelly released Sweatsuit, which combined songs from Sweat and Suit with new tracks. The song "Grillz" from this album became a number-one hit. Both Sweat and Suit have sold over 5 million copies in the United States.

Nelly's album Brass Knuckles was released on September 16, 2008. It included songs like "Party People" (with Fergie), "Stepped on My J'z" (with Jermaine Dupri and Ciara), and "Body on Me" (with Akon and Ashanti).

5.0 and Later Albums

Nelly in 2010

In 2010, Nelly released his album 5.0. The first song from the album, "Just a Dream", was released on August 17, 2010. It quickly became a top-three hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Just a Dream" was Nelly's highest-charting song since 2005.

The second song from the album, "Move That Body", featured T-Pain and Akon. Another song, "Gone", was a follow-up to his 2002 hit "Dilemma" and also featured Kelly Rowland.

In 2013, Nelly released "Hey Porsche", the first song from his seventh album, M.O. This song was popular in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. He also collaborated on a remix of "Cruise" with country duo Florida Georgia Line. His album M.O. was released on September 30, 2013.

In 2020, Nelly released "Lil Bit", a song with Florida Georgia Line from his country-influenced album Heartland. He also worked with country singers Kane Brown and Brett Kissel on remixes of their songs. In February 2024, Nelly was featured on a song by Jermaine Dupri called "This Lil' Game We Play", which also featured Ashanti and Juicy J.

As of August 2024, Nelly often performs at the Hollywood Casino and Hotel in Maryland Heights, Missouri. In January 2025, it was announced that Nelly would have a series of shows at Zouk Nightclub in Resorts World Las Vegas through August 2025.

Film and Television Career

Nelly started acting in 2001 in the movie Snipes, where he played a famous rapper. He also starred in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. His songs "Errtime" and "Fly Away" were on the movie's soundtrack.

From 2008 to 2009, he appeared in episodes of the TV show CSI: NY. In 2011, he had a small role in 90210. From 2014 to 2015, Nelly had his own reality TV show called Nellyville, which showed his life and career. His four children were also featured on the show. From 2013 to 2016, Nelly was a main cast member in the comedy series Real Husbands of Hollywood.

In September 2020, Nelly competed on the 29th season of Dancing with the Stars. He and his dance partner, Daniella Karagach, finished in third place.

Music Style

Nelly's rapping style is known for its catchy parts, often sounding like schoolyard rhymes. His voice has a unique "Missouri twang." His music style is influenced by his Midwestern background, blending country and urban sounds.

When he writes songs, Nelly often starts by freestyling the lyrics, then goes back to make them better. He usually writes in the studio and likes to create the chorus before writing the verses. He also prefers to write while listening to the music he will rap over. His songs often feature "tongue-twisting" hooks that are sometimes sung instead of rapped.

Personal Life

Nelly dated singer Ashanti from 2003 to 2013. They started dating again in 2023. In December 2023, it was reported they were expecting their first child together and had married. In April 2024, Ashanti confirmed her pregnancy and their engagement. On July 18, 2024, they welcomed their first child.

Nelly has two children from previous relationships: a son named Cornell Haynes III (Tre) and a daughter named Chanelle (Nana). He also adopted two children from his stepsister, Jaqueline Donahue, who passed away from leukemia in 2005.

Nelly is a big fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. He also supported the former St. Louis Rams football team and continued to support them after they moved to Los Angeles.

Other Ventures

Allen Iverson and Nelly at a Reebok endorsement photo shoot in 2007

In 2003, Nike and Nelly worked together to release a special sneaker called the "Air Derrty." In 2005, Nelly signed a shoe deal with Reebok. He has also appeared in ads for Got Milk? and the Ford Motor Company.

Nelly owns Apple Bottoms, a clothing line for women, and Vokal, a clothing line for men. He was one of the owners of the Charlotte Bobcats basketball team until 2010.

Nelly has played in major poker tournaments, including the 2007 World Series of Poker. In August 2010, he worked as an afternoon radio host on WHHL HOT 104.1 in St. Louis.

In September 2010, Nelly released a fitness DVD called Celebrity Sweat, which showed different exercises. In 2011, he helped found the Ex'treme Institute By Nelly, a music production school in St. Louis, with Vatterott College.

In 2015, Nelly teamed up with Mike and Ike candy. In 2021, he collaborated with Burger King on the "Cornell Haynes, Jr. Meal," which included a Whopper, small fries, and a small Sprite. This was part of Burger King's effort to promote meals with fewer artificial ingredients.

Helping Others

Nelly runs a non-profit organization called 4Sho4Kids Foundation. In March 2003, he and his sister, Jackie Donahue, started the Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign. This campaign aimed to teach African Americans and other minority groups about the importance of bone marrow transplants. It also worked to register more donors. Jackie Donahue passed away from leukemia in March 2005.

Since 2006, Nelly has hosted a "White and Black Ball" in St. Louis to raise money for scholarships. He has helped two students go to college every year for over ten years. He also set up a scholarship fund named after Michael Brown.

In 2010, Nelly supported Do Something's Tackle Hunger campaign. He filmed a public service announcement encouraging teens to collect food for the holiday season.

Discography

Studio albums

• Country Grammar (2000)
• Nellyville (2002)
• Sweat (2004)
• Suit (2004)
• Brass Knuckles (2008)
• 5.0 (2010)
• M.O. (2013)
• Heartland (2021)

Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games

See also

In Spanish: Nelly para niños