WHO IS NELLY

Cornell Ian Haynes Jr. is an only child born to Cornell Haynes and Rhonda Mack on November 2, 1974 in Austin, Texas.

When his parents divorced, Nelly moved with his mother to Missouri, where he would later form a group called St. Lunatics with his friends, and his half-brother City Spud.

The group were popular locally for their single, “Gimme What Ya Got”, but were regardless struggling to gain popularity outside of St. Louis.

Nelly went solo but would later reunite with the group after he had signed a record deal with Universal Music Group in 1999.

He released his debut album in June 2007 called, “Country Grammar”, which debuted on the Billboard 200 at #3 with its single of the same title reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.

The album received a 9x platinum certification from the RIAA in April, 2004. His best performing album, “Nellyville”, was released in 2002 and reached 6x platinum status. The album was #1 on three Billboard charts, including the Billboard 200.

Outside of his music career, he *occasionally* appears on TV and has acted in three films. Nelly isn’t only a celebrity, but he is also a philanthropist. He had started a campaign in light of his half sister, Jackie’s battle with leukemia, to educate minorities about the importance of bone marrow transplants, and register more donors.

He also runs a non-profit organisation to support kids born addicted to drugs and suffering from developmental disabilities. The organisation is called the 4Sho4Kids Foundation.