In the summer of 2000, Cornell "Nelly" Haynes Jr. did the unbelievable. Nelly, an unknown rapper from St. Louis, Missouri, sold over a quarter of a million copies of his debut album, Country Grammar during its first week of release. On the strength of his first single "Country Grammar (Hot . . .)," the album would spend seven weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart. His subsequent hits, "E.I." and "Ride Wit Me," would push the album to over 9 million units sold domestically. Not bad for a kid no one had ever heard of before.

Two years later, in the summer of 2002, Nelly proved to be no one-hit wonder when his sophomore album Nellyville came in at the number one position on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. That same week, the rapper just happened to be controlling the top slot on ten separate Billboard charts as well. Nellyville went on to sell over 6 million records domestically and earn its creator two Grammy trophies for the singles "Hot In Herre" (Best Male Rap Solo) and "Dilemma" (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration).

In 2003, he released a platinum-selling remix album, Da Derrty Versions (The Reinvention).  As a member of the St. Lunatics, comprised of Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan and Slo Down, he released the platinum-selling Free City in 2001. And last year, he picked up another Grammy for his collaboration with Murphy Lee and P. Diddy for "Shake Ya Tailfeather" (Best Rap Performance By A Duo or Group). Cumulatively, Nelly has sold close to 30 million singles/albums worldwide establishing him as one of the top-selling artists of our time.

On the music front, Nelly has expanded his role beyond that of just an artist.  He is also the CEO of his own label, Derrty Entertainment, a venture with Universal Records that has seen success with release of his remix album and Murphy Lee's platinum-bound solo debut, Murphy's Law.

Nelly's risk taking, growth and diversity should come as no surprise. His career success can be directly linked to his willingness to go out on a limb. From the melodic singsong rap hybrid that has become his trademark to his business ventures, Cornell Haynes, Jr.,  has colored outside of traditional rap lines. He has Vokal and Apple Bottoms, the requisite man's and women's clothing lines. But the young man who was once seriously scouted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves -who still hoops at local community center in his hometown - has continued to show his love for sports. He's performed at Superbowls XXXV and XXXVIII (2001 and 2004, respectively). He maintains interest in a NASCAR team and has recently become part owner of an NBA expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats.

Not satisfied with simply taking part in the "Got Milk?" ad campaign, Nelly created Pimp Juice, his own non-carbonated energy beverage.  In its first quarter, Pimp Juice sold over a million units and was recognized by the respected industry trade BevNet (The Beverage Network) as the "People's Choice" for best energy drink, as well as being touted by Vibe magazine as the "best energy drink." Nelly has also started two non-profit organizations: 4 Sho 4 Kids aims at helping underprivileged inner-city youth by providing them literacy and other educational and social programs; Jes Us 4 Jackie, helps locate bone marrow donors for leukemia patients.

In 2002, Haynes segued from rapping to acting when he appeared in a starring role in the independently released film Snipes and the superstar rapper/entrepreneur/actor/athlete  has landed a significant role in a re-make of the Burt Reynolds' classic film, The Longest Yard starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.

Now, the three-time Grammy winning artist will blaze a new trail. On September 14, 2004, he will become the first rap artist ever to release two new albums simultaneously, Sweat and Suit. Get this clear: Sweat and Suit are two separate albums full of all-new, high quality material. That's right, two albums. Not a double album: Two fully realized albums - each musically whole, conceptually complete and able to stand on its own.

Rarely do extended experiments of vision such as Miles Davis's Bitches Brew or Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key Of Life make it to the record shelves or your favorite online retailer. With new albums containing collaborations with a wide range of today's hottest artists including: Tim McGraw, Snoop Dogg, Ron Isley, Christina Aguilera, Fat Joe, Remy Ma and more, that unknown kid from St. Louis has evolved into a multi-talented artist, not content to retread the well-defined path of others or rest on his laurels.  Sweat and Suit chronicles the best of both sides of life; the ups and downs; the good and bad.  The albums provide a glimpse into the thoughts and life of the man behind the hits.  "This time I was able to open up a little more and let people know that there are other sides of Nelly," he says.

One man, two albums.

Sweat

"Sweat has more club joints and more street-oriented songs," says Nelly in describing his new album Sweat (one of two albums he will release on September 14, 2004). Like its name implies, Sweat is purely about the workout. And the first words heard from the "King of the Midwest Swing" on "Flap Your Wings," the inaugural single from Sweat, could not be more prophetic: "It's summertime and I'm back again," raps Nelly. "Done went to V.A. and got my friend/ Say what's up Pharrell."  Pharrell is, of course, Virginia's Pharrell Williams, one half of production tandem the Neptunes, the musical mavens responsible for Nelly's antiphonal and indelible "Hot in Herre." With "Flap Your Wings," the Neptunes have created a party anthem that's all percolating percussion and bass flourishes. Nelly, riding the track like the Orient Express, proves to be a peerless conductor of boogie madness.

Throughout Sweat, Nelly remains the reigning monarch of the club jam. "Tilt Ya Head Back," cracks open Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" like a tray of ice, leaving cold chunks of a funk bass-line over which Nelly with guest vocalist Christina Aguilera, serves up an intoxicating cocktail of hip-swirling vocal interplay.  It's sexy, it's astute, it's coming to a party near you, but most importantly, it's fun. "Christina's voice is incredible," comments Nelly, "so we just really cut it loose." Conversely, there's the Alchemist-produced "Playa" an alluring mix of 80's new wave and gritty rap. Featuring Missy Elliot and Mobb Deep, "Playa" is what happens to crunk after it's been bouncing all night and is ready to ride cruise control on a high-powered groove.

Yet Sweat doesn't simply drip with body-rocking hedonism as its only purpose. Not to let his country grammar be overlooked, Nelly sprays lyrical spit with precision on the St. Lunatics-assisted "Getcha Getcha." On the pulsating "Another One," Nelly drops acutely versed microphone gab, reminding those who may have forgotten that he's sick enough to be wrapped in blankets and dope enough to sleep on a triple beam balance. Sweat also becomes soaked with the goodness of the highlife when Terror Squad's Fat Joe and Remy Ma join in on the sinister thump of "Grand Hang Out" to help create a baller's anthem that takes opulence to a level where a thousand dollars of cash is treated as pocket change. The dirtily southern "Boy," features great assists from freestyle king Lil' Flip and Goodie Mob's Big Gipp. "I've always been a fan of artists from the South like T.I. and Big Gipp," he says.

Working hard to steal the spotlight from Nelly's effervescent flows and the star turns of his guest artists is the top-notch production work. For the Stephen Marley-supported "River Don't Runnn," Doe of Mo' Beats (Nelly's in-house track masters) adroitly slumps a St. Louis swing over a Kingston dub. Jayson "Koko" Bridges' slow-roasting "Spida Man" is marinated with a synthesizer gravy that pleasantly recalls Chronic-era Dr. Dre without stealing the good doctor's recipe. And beat master Jazze Pha comes through with jubilant cowbells, whistles, digital claps and electronic snaps on the festive "Na-NaNa-Na." But the album's musical highpoint may be newcomer Phillip Duckett's "Heart of a Champion." Backed by victorious marching band horns and the Lincoln University Vocal ensemble, "Heart of a Champion" finds Nelly flowing with all the swagger of a consistently multi-platinum rap pioneer who's acquired the "stats of a Hall of Famer in just two records." "Heart of a Champion" beats with pride and pulses with the triumph of great artistic achievement. It's a defining number on the album and a grand moment for its creator.

With Sweat, Nelly makes the type of music only he can make. And what he makes is music to move your body better than anyone else alive. Sweat is a striking testament to unbridled enjoyment, a glorious offering to the lords of dance. It's a high-concept, high impact workout.

You may want to stretch before listening.

Suit

Suit is all about the "grown and sexy," says Nelly in describing his new album Suit (one of two albums he's releasing on September 14, 2004). Tailor made for the lover and thinker in you, Suit finds Nelly pouring out his melodic "pimp juice" and opening up his heart over adult compositions.

"My Place," a lush groove featuring ghetto fabulous thug crooner Jaheim serves as the long player's first single. Produced by Doe of Nelly's in-house Mo' Beats production troupe, "My Place" incorporates vocal and musical interpolations of Teddy Pendergrass' "Come Go With Me," DeBarge's "I Like It" and LaBelle's "Isn't It A Shame" to create a wholly original sound. The artists don't just sample here, they strip the source material to ribbons, turning "My Place" into a bow of sublime revisionist revelry. "I used to pride myself on being the other man/ But now it's flipped and I don't want you with no other man," raps Nelly as he begins to explore the possibilities of truly trading his player sweats for the suit of relationship responsibilities.

In keeping with the project's genre-expanding ethos, Nelly's country grammar meets country and western on Suit. For "Over and Over" country megastar Tim McGraw accompanies a beautifully introspective, guitar-twanged ballad of naked vulnerability and love lost. But the album isn't all navel-gazing and wound licking.  The exquisitely moving "N Dey Say" samples Spandau Ballet's "True" and turns an eye to social distress, while serving as inspiration ode single mothers. "I know this sounds 2Pac-ish, but mama keep ya head up," raps Nelly. For "She Don't Know My Name," Outkast's Big Boi creates a so fresh and so gangsta leaning backdrop for a dedication to a secret crush. The track rides like a velour upholstered '64 Cadillac rolling on a velvet road after a midnight mimosa, while Nelly lays back at a private party with Ron Isley serenading with silk-tongues fantasies before Snoop Dogg drops by to seduce with slick talk.

There's a small smattering of mid-tempo numbers that keep Suit bumping along nicely. "In My Life," an endearing vow of commitment featuring hip-hop's comeback kid, Mase along with Derrty Entertainment's Avery singing the vocals.. On "Nobody Knows" Jermaine Dupri places a sparse SUV-rattling thump behind Anthony Hamilton's old soul vocalization. "Nobody Knows" comes off like the sound of the gospel preached behind tinted windows as Nelly's sermon weaves tales of perseverance in a delivery that flows like baptismal waters. Another stand-out is Jazze Pha's appealingly melodic "Pretty Toes," which praises city girls to country girls for walking around with house slippers or open toe sandals.

Though the clothes don't make the man, Nelly's Suit is woven from the fabric of hip-hop's growing embrace of the maturity of its practitioners and an acknowledgement that even youth culture must grow up at some point. Suit is nothing off-the-rack. It's a custom-cut statement of maturity and sensuality that not only speaks to the truths of its creator, but represents the evolution of an art form.

Wear it well.  

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