Nelly (Rapper)

Nelly to Work With a Bee On Upcoming Project

On Friday our sister paper in Minneapolis, the City Pages published this story chronicling the Minneapolis sightings and Twitter-ings of St. Louis' most famous St. Lunatic, Nelly. According to reports, Nelly is in the midst of finalizing a deal with Minneapolis-based General Mills cereal (the hashta ... More >>

Quick Questions: Tef Poe Talks to the Creative Minds Behind Hitmakers Basement Beats

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

2012: The Year in St. Louis Music

Nelly's 7th Annual Black & White Ball: A Diary of Our Crash Course in County Grammar

Nelly's 7th Annual Black & White ball was this weekend at the St. Louis Science Center. The charity event brought out some of the city's best and brightest, all dressed in finery for an evening of music, food, drinks and hobnobbery. Also in attendance were a couple Stag-swilling chumps with absolute ... More >>

Adam Murphy of Midwest Mixtapes: There are More People on the Streets than on the Internet

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

Nelly and Crew Busted in Texas with 36 Bags of Heroin, 10 Pounds of Weed and a Loaded Gun [Many Updates]

Update, 9:00 a.m.: We spoke with Jay E, producer of almost every song on Country Grammar and frequent Nelly collaborator. While he certainly isn't about to condone anyone's actions here, he is urging restraint. After all, none of us were there. He posted the following on his personal Facebook page y ... More >>

Nelly: No Idea Tour Bus Was Full of Drugs and "Mad As Hell" [UPDATE]

Update: Some measured words from Jay E, the producer of Country Grammar and frequent Nelly collaborator. Yesterday, news broke that Nelly's tour bus was stopped at a Texas border patrol checkpoint and cops found an obscene amount of drugs onboard. One person -- Brian Keith Jones -- took the fall, ... More >>

The Ten Best Shows In St. Louis This Weekend: October 12 to 14

Nelly's recent run-in with the law is the talk of the town / office / internet today -- if you've been under a rock, check out what I'm referring to here. Anyway, my question is simple: When the hell are touring musicians going to stop trying to drive through Sierra Blanca? They nabbed Nelly, Fiona, ... More >>

Nelly's Tour Bus Bust: Brian Keith Jones's Mugshot

Well, there you have it folks, Brian Keith Jones, the man who Texas cops arrested for allegedly packing Nelly's tour bus to the gills with heroin and weed. See also: -The Mug Shots of Hudspeth County: Nelly's Bodyguard, Fiona Apple, Willie Nelson -Nelly's Tour Bus Busted with Heroin, Weed, Loaded G ... More >>

The Mug Shots of Hudspeth County: Nelly's Bodyguard, Fiona Apple, Willie Nelson

Nelly's tour bus was stopped this week in Sierra Blanca, Texas, where authorities found 36 bags of heroin, ten pounds of weed and a loaded handgun. Much, much more information here. His bodyguard, Brian Keith Jones, claimed ownership of everything, and he is currently awaiting arraignment in Texas. ... More >>

Five Years of the Best St. Louis Song: Listen Here

Our yearly giant love letter to St. Louis -- the Best Of issue -- comes out tomorrow. We've encountered some confusion out there, so this seems like as good an opportunity as any to explain that this is different from our RFT Music Awards, which are ultimately determined by a public vote. With the B ... More >>

The Ten Black Pop Stars Who Should Go Country

[Editor's note: Country Time is a new biweekly column for our sister music blog in Seattle, celebrating that city's favorite musical genre: mainstream country.] By Mike Seely With the nation's major-party political conventions drawing to a close recently with a rousing reelection appeal from the n ... More >>

Lessons I Learned From Nelly

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

Here is Nelly Performing "Hot in Herre" with the Roots (Video)

Well this is awesome. Nelly, fresh off his blowout headlining gig downtown last weekend, landed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. Which means that, like all Fallon's musical guests, he got to play with the Roots as his backing band. And, perhaps because he's re-evaluating his musical legac ... More >>

Guerrilla Vegans Misrepresent Rapper Nelly in Wee-Hours Banner Drop

Disclaimer: While Gut Check's modus vivendi might be summed up succinctly as "live and let live (or die)," some of our best friends are vegans. Oh, and no animals were harmed in the writing of this blog post. As morning commuters might have noticed, early yesterday vegan activists staged a "banner ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From July 16 to 22

My word of the day calendar says that today's word is "skirl", which conveniently is defined as a musical term. Unfortunately, it is one that typically involves the act of bagpipin', and none of the bands listed this week feature that particular instrument. MISSED OPPORTUNITIES. Alberta Cross plays ... More >>

50-Plus St. Louis Hip-Hop Artists You Should Know

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

Remembering Tega, A St. Louis Rapper Who Couldn't Shake Criminal Past

There are plenty of musicians who died before getting definitive time in the musical spotlight. Tega -- a rapper who was affiliated with Nelly's St. Lunatics -- is sadly in that category, as he passed on while he was in the midst of climbing the musical ladder. Tega -- whose real name was Oretga De ... More >>

"Hot in Herre" Turns Ten

Most of Nelly's monster hits have neat-and-tidy legacies. "Country Grammar," for instance, introduced the world to Nelly's distinctive style and persona. "Dilemma" showed that Nelly could put forth a commercially-successful slow jam. And "Air Force Ones" proved to be the landmark rap song about shoe ... More >>

Nelly Taught America "Country Grammar" on This Day in 2000

Mainstream superstardom often begins with a spark, rather than an explosion. It's hard to say whether Lady Gaga would have been more than a behind-the-scenes cog in Akon's machine without "Just Dance." And if 50 Cent had not delivered "In Da Club," it's possible that the world may never have tasted ... More >>

The Best Super Bowl Commercials by the Music

The Darkness saved Samsung's ad from spiraling down into forgettable territory. ​Let's be blunt. This year's Super Bowl was dismal for Midwesterners. Sure, there were exceptions. Transplants from Boston, New York City or New Jersey may have enjoyed the game. Some may have had a rooting intere ... More >>

Nelly's Ex'treme Institute: Photos from Last Night's Webcast Party

Contrary to what you might think, local legend Nelly's latest collaboration isn't with some up-and-coming rapper or hot-shot producer; it's with St. Louis-based Vatterott College. Located on Laclede's Landing, Ex'treme Institute (800 North Third Street, 888-669-0633) by Nelly opened its doors last ... More >>

B.o.B. Prefers Spaceships to Blunts and Talks Tyler, the Creator. But...

Diana BenantiB.o.B. on the dais with Hot 104.1's Staci Static.​As promised: We waited around the Loft last night for Bobby Ray, better known to the Top 40 audience as rapper and earworm manufacturer B.o.B. He's known for the atrociously catchy "Airplanes," ("Can we pretend that airplanes in th ... More >>

Nelly Has The Number One Song In The Country.... Nine Years Ago Today

​The early 2000s were Nelly's salad days, a time period where the University City rapper was known more for slinging out hits than his efforts to take over Branson or for dealing with burglars at his Wildwood home. An example: Nelly had the number one song in the country nine years ago today ... More >>

Waka Flocka, Wiz Khalifa, Ludacris, Keri Hilson Nelly and more at Superjam 4: 6/12/11

Nelly makes a guest appearance to snuggle with Keri Hilson. Photo by Kiernan Maletsky​Super Jam 4 Mindless Behavior | Rockwell Knuckles and Tef Poe | Block Boyz | MoTre | Ruka Puff | Gena | Travis Porter | YC | Lloyd | Yo Gotti | Keri Hilson | Wiz Khalifa | Waka Flocka Flame | Ludacris Verizo ... More >>

Tonight at Left Bank: Former RFT Writer Ben Westhoff Discusses New Book Dirty South

Ben Westhoff tonight at Left Bank.​Former RFT staffer Ben Westhoff is out with a new book exploring the artists who helped popularize the southern style of hip hop that has dominated airwaves for much of the past decade. Tonight at 7 p.m. Westhoff reads from his work Dirty South: Outkast, Lil Wayn ... More >>

Video: See Nelly Guest Star on the New 90210, Hawk the Ford Explorer

Our beloved local cuddle-thug has been all over the national scene in advance of his appearance on this year's Blizzard Music Tour. During the Grammys, a commercial aired in which he pimped out a Sony Audio system in the new Ford Explorer. The humorous clip features his duet with Kelly Rowland, "Gon ... More >>

Video: Nelly's Blueberry Hill Go Show Now Available

The lovely folks over at Vevo finally got around to putting together an excellent Go Show from Nelly's surprise performance with the St. Lunatics at Blueberry Hill last month. "Move That Body" is the third single and maybe our favorite earworm off Nelly's forthcoming album, 5.0, which will be releas ... More >>

Nelly and Bieber Have a Twitter Love-Fest

After his Scottrade Center show last night, Justin Bieber took to Twitter to rave about how great the concert -- and audience -- was. To whom did he rave about the Lou? Why, Nelly, of course! .bbpBox1864496440147968 {background:url(http://a1.twimg.com/profile_background_images/166861976/acoustic_J ... More >>

Photos Recap: Nelly Plays a Surprise Show at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room

Diana BenantiFans lined up outside Blueberry Hill. ​Nelly treated 200 lucky fans to a free show at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room on Friday, in conjunction with a ceremony celebrating his star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. The hip-hop superstar is the youngest person to have his own star, and tho ... More >>

Nelly Doing a Surprise Concert Today, Right After He Gets a Star on the Walk of Fame

This just in! Hot off the email presses! See below: Today, Nelly and the St. Lunatics will surprise lucky fans with an impromptu performance in the Delmar Loop. Nelly is announcing the concert this afternoon on Magic 104.1 and Z107.7. The performance is presented by VEVO as part of the music video ... More >>

Nelly and the St. Lunatics Performing Together Tonight -- First Time in 10 Years

The St. Lunatics will perform tonight for the first time since founding member City Spud was incarcerated ten years ago. It seemed like an eternity when we went without a peep from the Band-Aided one and his posse, but in the past few months, St. Louis has felt like Nellyville again. There was tha ... More >>

Nelly Sweats Like a Celebrity, Hits the Billboard Top 10

therundown.tvA screencap of the trailer for Nelly's workout DVD.​The end of 2010 is shaping up to be a good one for Nelly -- pun intended. He's gearing up to release a workout DVD titled Celebrity Sweat: Exclusive Sports Workout. (A teaser is below.) According to ESPN's Lynn Hoppes, Nelly's re ... More >>

Interview: Nelly on Being a DJ, His New Album and Playing in Branson

Erin Kinsella​Starting yesterday, one of the city's most recognizable voices can be heard over the airwaves daily. Nelly is taking over as host for the afternoon-drive timeslot (from 3 to 7 p.m.) at Hot 104.1. The switch will only be a temporary arrangement, while regular host Staci Static is ... More >>

Live-Blogging Nelly's Debut as Drive-Time Host on Hot 104.1 FM

As we reported yesterday, St. Louis hip-hop icon Nelly has accepted a new gig as drive-time host at Hot 104.1 FM. No word on how long this stint will last, but the St. Lunatic is already two hours into his first shift. We thought we'd listen in and see how Nelly rocks the mic in a different way.4:4 ... More >>

Nelly Becoming a Drive-Time DJ on Hot 104.1

Erin KinsellaNelly at Kiener Plaza a few weeks ago. More photos from that night here.​Yes, you read that right: Hot 104.1 FM just sent out a press release announcing that Nelly is going to be its drive-time DJ on weekday afternoons, starting tomorrow. Says the email: WHHL-HOT 104.1FM has offi ... More >>

Nelly to Realize His Dream, Play a Concert in Branson

​We're not sure why Nelly is so dead-set on playing Branson, seeing how the town is an oasis for the dead-end acts of yesteryear. (Then again, Country Grammar did just celebrate its 10-year anniversary.) Anyway, it seems the St. Louis rapper will finally realize his dream of playing in the "Hillbi ... More >>

Nelly Will Be Getting Hot in Herre -- Er, Branson -- After All

Well, it appears that Nelly's Branson concert is on after all: According to Fox 2 (via the Associated Press): A promoter says the much-delayed concert by rapper Nelly has a venue in Branson. Concert promoter Paul Dunn said Nelly will perform indoor at the Mansion Theater on Aug. 21. According to t ... More >>

No Nelly Outdoors in Branson

Last night in Branson, Missouri, the board of aldermen nixed a proposed outdoor concert by the Lou's hip-hop superstar, Nelly. According to the Springfield News-Leader: The Branson Board of Aldermen Tuesday night rejected an appeal from a production company looking to hold an outdoor concert at the ... More >>

Weekend Photos: Nelly Celebrates Ten Years of Country Grammar, The COOL Tour featuring Underoath, As I Lay Dying, More

Summer in St. Louis continues to roll on: Last Friday, Nelly celebrated the tenth anniversary of the release of Country Grammar with a bash at HOME Nightclub. Egan O'Keefe surveyed the scene and brought back a slideshow of photos. View a sampling below:Egan O'KeefeNellyville!​ View more phot ... More >>

Nelly Celebrates Country Grammar's Tenth Anniversary. Also, Enormous Richard and the Plimsouls' Peter Case Perform in Town.

​Tonight at HOME Nightclub, Nelly is celebrating the tenth anniversary of his genre-defining album Country Grammar with -- what else? -- a fancy party. DJ Sno is on the decks. The event is a culmination of a ten-city, VIBE magazine-sponsored tour celebrating Nelly's career. The festivities sta ... More >>

Nelly's ex-producer, Jay E, reflects on his road to success

Rapper Nelly's Cousin Murdered in St. Louis County: Michael Johnson Shot to Death Wednesday

KPLRMichael Johnson​A man who St. Louis hip-hop star Nelly referred to as his cousin (or, rather his "cuzzen") was killed Wednesday night outside a home in the 8000 block of Nola, near the intersection of N. Hanley and St. Charles Rock Road. Michael Johnson, 36, was shot multiple times while leavi ... More >>

Murphy Lee returns with a new album — and a positive outlook

Update: Burglar Strikes Nelly's Mansion, Police Respond in Force -- Delta Force

​More details are emerging about the break in this morning at rapper Nelly's estate in the western suburb of Wildwood. The Post-Dispatch reports that the hip-hop star was out of town this morning when a thief broke in the sprawling mansion around 7 a.m. People staying in the home heard a commotion ... More >>

R.I.P. Tega from Da Camp

myspace.com/theweightisoverTegaSt. Louis rapper Tega, of the group Da Camp, died last week from injuries suffered in a May 16 shooting in Wellston, reports the Post-Dispatch.The 25 year-old (given name Ortega Devon Henderson), died on Wednesday May 27 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.Da Camp is best known ... More >>

This Weekend in Hip-Hop: Nelly at the Pageant and The Derrty DJ's Midwest Summit

www.zazzle.comIt's a concert ten years in the making: Nelly is headlining a show at the Pageant on Sunday. He's performed a few times over the past year (making cameos when various St. Lunatics opened for Lil' Wayne and T.I. at separate gigs at Chaifetz Arena) but this is the first time in a lo ... More >>

Grammar School: Nearly a decade later, Missouri artists remember the Nelly album that put St. Louis on the map

Drink of the Week: Apple Bottom Martini

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