One of the few Midwest rappers, Nelly's countrified style put home town St.
Louis on the map as he achieved huge international fame. Forming the collective
St. Lunatics in 1993, regional hits 'Gimme What U Got' and 'Thug Love for the
Homiez' failed to gain the national attention that he craved, so he decided to
go solo in 1999.
Wearing a sticky plaster on his face as a tribute to his jailed brother, a mix
of bad boy, gangsta swagger and smooth pop melodies sent his first two albums
'Country Grammar' (2000) and 'Nellyville' (2002) sailing to number one in the
US. As chart-top...