His career ran his course. Mostly by the 2010s, Nelly was going into tv and other projects. Plus a lot his songs getting samples by other artists and commercials, so he's good. His songs gonna make him money on top of money.
This exactly. In a world awash with flops who fell off Nelly shouldn't even be mentioned in "falling off" discussions. Music moved on and he had made enough while he suited his era and diversified.
Agreed .. I can't say he fell off or even stunted.. the industry changed, and moved over.. got into TV, hell got into music licensing for that matter, he naturally did what slot of older artist started doing and found other ways to eat. It's like being on a job for years finally retiring and just found other stuff do while in retirement 😉. It's like Erick Sermon as producer who produced his from 86 to the early, mid 2ks and then stopped for like 10-12 years.. the man basically did grown man stuff during his of time and lived of work he done previous 10-15 years.. not to mention Nelly did the impossible coming from st. Louis as no one comes from there!! It's the equivalent of being a juco baskerball player and not only making it to the pros but going to the hall of Fame.. salute to him..
I remember another reviewer talking about Nelly and this is what stuck with me- "Nelly made all those hits but it still feels like we don't know anything about him." That kind of sums him up perfectly.
People forget how huge Nelly was. As huge as Drake is, that's how big Nelly was back then. You couldn't nowhere without hearing his music. He didn't fall off. He has his run. Most artists fall off after their first album. This man has diamond records. Trust me, he's proud of what he accomplished in music. And he has no regrets
Nelly was NOT expected. I remember seeing ads for Country Grammar in the Source before anything dropped, but I didn’t think Nelly would be a game-changer, let alone a superstar. (You also gotta remember, hip-hop magazines were flooded with ads for upcoming artists, esp. in the back pages.) It wasn’t until “Country Grammar” the song dropped that everyone was taken by surprise at how big it was getting. And when “E.I.” that’s when we knew Nelly was a true force to be reckoned with. I kinda feel like this video makes it seem like Nelly was an obvious star but that just was not the case. Nelly came outta NOWHERE and killed the game.
I remember being in high-school and asking some guys if they ever heard of the new guy Nelly and they clowned me. Saif "Who is Nelly your girlfriend" A week later Nelly was everywhere I don't know why that memory sticks with me
Yeah Nelly kinda came out of nowhere...then you hear "HOT SH**" and everybody...I mean EVERYBODY stopped. What's this 👀 some people made fun of him but even they couldn't deny that shit was an instant classic.
Here's some growths I felt like you missed. 1. His sister passing away. His sister was his backbone and her transitioning from cancer in 2005 really had an impact that he didn't fully recover from until 2008 when he gave us Brass Knuckles. 2. The St. Lunatics all having disagreements (more specifically Ali.) If you've ever seen the interview with Nelly from 2021 he pretty much broke down why him and Ali are at odds and how the STL basically sided with Ali. Now even though Nelly can stand on his own, it does look crazy when your ppl ain't standing with you. Regardless of who's fault it is, it is worth mentioning. Next stunted growth options: Ludacris (especially since you did Shawnna, Chingy, and Field Mob) Yung Joc Bobby Valentino Benzino (and possibly The Source Magazine) Wale T-Pain Cupid DJ UNK Magoo
Seeing someone from my hometown blowing up the way Nelly did was amazing to see back in 2000. I ran into his mother while out on day and chatted with her. She is very down to earth.
All these artists just not hungry for it anymore, anyone of them could put out music if they want to but it just gotta be a hit, like alisha keys put out bangers whenever she feel ready
Career ran it's course for sure, but with 3 Classics (and they are) he's cool for life. He will always have the Shows (especially Internationally, they respect the Artists with the classics and keep them doing Shows) with Classic Songs that get people moving. Some of his biggest Songs still get Radio Spins, Nelly has earned his spot in the Legendary Lane.
I think he chose to just be comfortable for a while and try some other things but in that time he lost his sound. I remember 6th through 8th grade he was definitely one of the rappers on top
He was also ahead of his time with the rap country music thing I remember the song he had with tim McGraw was heavily criticized back in the day but if it came out now it be a hit with other artists who made recent hits with rap and country music together
I think for that time and era, his career ran its course. To go diamond on your debut album and sell 7 million on your second album is CRAZY. That’s a lot of units. And he was a major reason why Nike hiked up the prices of Air Force ones. They owe him for a lifetime lol. The game changed. By the time that tipdrill video came out and the controversy behind and the women at spelman college being upset about the video, it was the nail in the coffin for his career. And i remember he started a campaign around that time looking for bone marrow donors because his sister was really sick. Being from the Midwest, it was dope to see Nelly blow up because we get looked over a lot in hip hop when it comes to the Midwest.
@@tn-cj9cc the country song didn’t bother me surprisingly. The reason i feel like tipdrill was the end is because the women of spelman gave him so much flack about that video and his career was already starting to shift before then. In this era, tipdrill would be accepted lol. He had a hell of a run for sure.
He wasn’t the first to “sing rap”. Bone Thugs of course but also Pimp C. I’m sure someone more knowledgeable than myself can name some before those guys I assume. Great vid and great channel ✌🏿
There were alot of "singing rappers" way before Nelly. I wouldn't even say Nelly is the one who popularized it. Nate Dogg Kokane Domino Z-Ro Bone Thugs Pimp C Guerilla Mobb All were harmonizing in their raps long before Nelly first dropped.
I disagree that his embrace of country music contributed to his decline. If anything, it probably extended his career a little longer. Sure, country may have been losing popularity, but Nelly already had country fans - he always kinda catered to the genre on his albums - and they didn’t totally abandon him the way hip-hop fans did. 😅
I don’t think Nelly gets a percentage of the credit he deserves…he’s the definition of “it” factor…he literally put the Midwest on the map and represented a whole region…Nelly was basically a hit making machine without being extra gangster I salute Nelly he deserves his flowers 🫡‼️
7:30 You do know Bone Thugs-N-Harmony came out the gate wit melodic rap & they were an instant hit right? This was like 5 or 6 years before Nelly came out. Nate Dogg & them especially had long made that sound popular
Shid Nellys' career did what it was pose to do. Dude first album is a diamond record( in the same section with some of the greatest MCs ever). I dont think he fell off he's forever good
Idk about the first with the Melodies, we had Bone Thugs, Slick Rick a little, even Ja Rule even though it wasn’t good singing. But I can agree that Nelly did it the best in a mainstream level
I disagree with the 2nd stunt. There were several rappers out that rapped with melody, Bone, Ja rule, DMX, Missy, and Busta to name a few. Nelly was definitely not the first or even the best who did it, but he did it well and his way was never seen as biting.
One thing that people tend to overlook is the pattern in most big hit artists not standing the test of time due to lack of substance. Big names like Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas and the Wu-Tang clan still have a career to fall on, despite being up there in ages. It's because they have an actual catalog and they became superstars because of their actual ability, not just their hits. Which in Nelly's case, he never had substance. He was never known for his lyrical ability. His music was only bumping in the clubs, and maybe even the car, but not your headphones or your house or when you wanna hear something introspective. In the end, rappers with bars last longer.
Bone thugs was fast rapping and harmonizing before any rapper was really doing it and Nate Dogg was singing his raps like a thug from heaven they was way ahead of their time
I'm from St. Louis it even took me awhile to truly understand his greatness. To go Diamond in St. Louis, where the Industry hates on us, he's so damn underrated and a ICON in the game.
U know what, when u hip hop and transition to the pop world, it hurts your career more than street relevance. He chose that route instead of lyrical creativity
Exactly, plus the whole melodic rap thing had been pretty popular for a few years by the time Nelly showed up, Nate Dogg & Bone were prime examples of that
It was just him not evolving -that’s it. Nothing more. Met and worked with him…He’s a good dude.I’d also say Griselda and others have killed that mold for stunt number 1. This is a different day and age in music
Delhi had a picture-perfect career 4 most in entertainment I'm sure basketball players and football players wish they could say they had a 10 year run my hats off and Bravo
Salute to Nelly, much respect... Fogot that part so I figured I'd put that out there because what he accomplished in this music business shouldn't go ignored.
Ya boi still in here mayn. As always great video, great topic, great fucking content. Keep doing what you do, no matter how slow things might feel like they’re moving, you’re getting there. Thanks for the drop.
You are truly something else - I know NOT to watch this while eating and or drinking 😂 I’m gonna *ignore the Benzino clip lol and some of the comments made* 😂😂😂😂
When did Busta fall off? He's going on 3 decades of still spitten fire. You haven't followed his career well enough if you think he fell off the face of the earth.
Mos def that 1st stunted growth was the and is the main reason: he's simply out of his era. Can anyone really see Nelly projecting into future rap generations a la Kanye or Jay-Z? Not a bad thing but a real thing to ponder.
Couldn't agree with you more. Could just be growing up in the bay area that I never could get into his sound and silly lyrics. To each their own though.
Nelly was ALWAYS good to fall off at some point. He was a Party Rapper, not a rapper of heavy substance. For a Party Rapper to have had a 7 year from 2000-2007 like Nelly was an overachievement.
It cracks me up when they talk about someone who was the first to sing and rap when they all have forgotten about "Domino" do yourself a favor and look up "ghetto jam"
Pause at 3:35 Nelly can not make a case for being the first to incorporate singing into his flow that would have to be missy Elliot who constantly gets overlooked even talking about that
Thats weird he even brought that up. Especially since the whole “light skin was in” era was like the 80s/early 90s. It was literally a running joke on Comic View for years. Im assuming this dude is either really young or his family wasn’t in this country at the time.
Nelly really had a good run in the 00's. He was like Drake during his prime. But That Tip Drill video was the Nail in the coffin that almost ruined Nelly's Career
He went Diamond in his first album when you actually had to go buy the album. He didn’t have a cosign like 50 did with Eminem. Suit was ahead of it’s time and it’s one of my favorite albums of all timr
This should be a growth spurt....He took nursery rhymes further than anyone could ever. Three Diamond Plaques - Even Jay-z didn't do that his first 3 albums. That's Em level record sales. Kanye didn't go Diamond 3 times straight his first three either....Nelly gets my props even though I couldn't stand his music or lyrical ability. Hard to say he didn't maximize his potential
Too me his biggest growth stunt is singing too much between Nellyville and sweat & suit it was a major drop off. He should've went back to basics and try to be more lyrical. I know Nelly could put a 16 together. "Midwest and we aim about mid chest. " That's the hardest bar from Nelly. He will never be the best lyricist but at least try.
Much respect to Nelly and everything he's done, but there can be no argument made with him being the first rapper to incorporate singing, or at the very least, harmonizing into their music when Bone Thugs exist...
