Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: Nelly, Murphy Lee, Justin Timberlake, King Jacob, Kelly Rowland, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Dani Stevenson. | | Producers include: Jason "Jay E" Epperson, The Neptunes, Just Blaze, Waiel Yaghnam, Bam & Ryan Bowser. | | Principally recorded at The Hit Factory, Miami, Florida. | | "Hot In Herre" won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Rap Male Solo Performance. | | "Dilemma" (w/ Kelly Rowland) won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. | | NELLYVILLE was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Album Of The Year and | | Best Rap Album. "Dilemma" (w/ Kelly Rowland) was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Award for Record Of The Year. | | NELLYVILLE could fairly be billed as its creator's coming-of-age album, with a sophisticated sheen that's a world and several million dollars away from its predecessor, the hugely successful COUNTRY GRAMMAR. Confidence and an undeniable musicality are the watchwords here, from the opening title track which is a both half-sung, half-rapped statement of first principles and a tour through the artist's psyche. The infectious club track "Hot in Herre" should bring fans and Nelly neophytes alike running with its old-school chorus, while the tight, steamy textures of "Pimp Juice" show Nelly as a master of insinuating vocalese. There are the usual guest appearances, notably from Justin Timberlake on the rap/pop crossover "Work It," where Timberlake's smooth vocals are expertly used to provide a cool, stylish counterpoint to Nelly's urgent rapping. Beanie Sigel guests on the remix of "Roc the Mic" while the take-no-prisoners stomp of "On the Grind" featuring King Jacob is a reminder, if any were necessary, that no matter how sophisticated his music gets, the streets of St. Louis will always be Nelly's spiritual home. |
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| Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.107)
- Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2002"Rolling Stone (7/25/02, p.73)
- 3 stars out of 5 - "...It's a solid dance record, peppered with clever punch lines and very likable..." Spin (8/02, p.109)
- 6 out of 10- "...The unsung hero of Nelly's debut was producer Jason Epperson, whose beats were the sonic equivalent of a chromed-out grill. Jay E's new tracks have a similar sheen...Every time [Nelly] catches one of Jay E's deadpan grooves, that Midwestern flow conveys more than any thug posture could..." Entertainment Weekly (6/28/02, p.141)
- "...The album as a whole is so solid...a plethora of neat surprises....Our man seems to be in control of his flame and on top of his game..." - Rating: B Q (9/02, pp.109-10)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "...Nelly is clearly on top of his pop-rap game..." NME (Magazine)
(6/29/02, p.38)
- 7 out of 10 - "...A glossy well-produced album of populist anthems with a gangsta undertow....another multi-platinum album in the making..." |
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