It's Nelly's birthday!
The rise of the South didn't start with him, but he definitely was one of the most prominent members of the scene.
He began with St. Lunatics in 1993 but began his solo career with Universal Records in 1999. In 2000, his debut Country Grammar, featured the title track and the single "Ride wit Me" which both were top ten hits. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number one. Country Grammar is Nelly's best-selling album, with over 8.4 million copies in the United States.
His follow-up album, Nellyville, produced number-one hits "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma" (featuring Kelly Rowland),, followed by singles included "Work It" (featuring Justin Timberlake), "Air Force Ones" (featuring Murphy Lee and St. Lunatics), "Pimp Juice" and "#1".
Sweat, in 2004 debuted at number two on the US Billboard chart, selling 342,000 copies in its first week. In the same week Suit debuted at number one, selling around 396,000 copies in its first week. Brass Knuckles, was released in 2008, and produced "Party People" (featuring Fergie), "Stepped on My J'z" (featuring Jermaine Dupri and Ciara) and "Body on Me" (featuring Akon and Ashanti). In 2010, 5.0 and "Just a Dream", was certified triple platinum in the United States. It included the singles "Move That Body" (featuring T-Pain and Akon) and "Gone" (a sequel to "Dilemma").
Nelly has won Grammy Awards in 2003 and 2004, two clothing lines, Vokal and Apple Bottoms, and the RIAA ranks Nelly as the fourth best-selling rap artist in American music history, with 21 million albums sold.