- Biography
Nelly (born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr.) is a GRAMMY Award-winning American rapper and actor from St. Louis, MO. The Midwestern MC got his start with the group St. Lunatics in 1993 and six years later, the crew signed to Universal Records. One year later, Nelly kicked off his solo career with the debut album, Country Grammar, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and became his best selling album to date. He’s won a couple GRAMMY Awards throughout his storied career, which now includes a whopping seven albums, the most recent being 2013’s M.O. Throughout his career, Nelly’s sold over 21 million albums, with his Diamond-selling 2000 debut album becoming one of the highest selling hip-hop albums of all time. He’s since expanded his career, venturing into television, but will always be a certified hitmaker.