Nelly, true name Cornell Iral Hayes, Jr., is a rap artist. Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Nelly grew up in the suburbs of University City where he attempted to break into the music industry with a rap group. Dubbed the St. Lunatics, the group was unsuccessful at landing a recording contract; however, Nelly was able to secure a record agreement through Universal for his first album Country Grammar. Since the release of this album in 2000, Nelly has been a rap phenomenon with dozens of awards and increasing popularity.

Riding on the success of Country Grammar, which won a Grammy for Best Male Rap Solo Performance, Nelly pursued collaborations with other rap and R&B artists. Accompanying his win in 2003 for Best Male Rap Solo Performance, Nelly won another Grammy for his collaboration with Kelly Rowland on the single "Dilemma." The next year, Nelly won another Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for the single "Shake Ya Tailfeather."

Aside from critical success, Nelly's rap artistry has garned commercial success as well. His first five albums have all surpassed platinum certification, with Country Grammar certified at nine times platinum. Nelly's most recent release, Sweatsuit, has already been certified gold despite only being a repackaging of his previous two albums, Suit and Sweat.

In his personal life, Nelly is extremely focused on family, In 2003, he founded Jes Us 4 Jackie, a campaign to search for bone marrow donors for his leukemia-stricken sister Jacqueline Donahue. Nelly also has two young children, Chanel and Cornell Haynes III, 12 and 7 respectively.

• Snipes (2002)
• The Longest Yard (2002)

• Country Grammar (2000)
• Nellyville (2002)
• Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention (2003)
• Suit (2004)
• Sweat (2004)
• Sweatsuit (2005)