3.10.2003
Nelly says "Pimp Juice" is anything that attracts the opposite sex, but his video for the song is taking the words quite literally.
"We're turning it into a pimp's paradise," director Benny Boom said last Tuesday on the set — an old downtown pool hall converted into an underground casino.
"The concept is that Nelly has this car that has been passed down to him, a '74 Coup DeVille Cadillac, candy-apple red," Boom explained, referencing the first verse of the song ("I'm in that '74 Coup DeVille/ With the power seats, leather, wood on my wheel"). "And it just so happens that this is the same car he was born in. So it's sort of like he's got pimpin' in his blood from day one."
Nelly's dad in the video is played by Max Julien, star of the 1973 pimping movie "The Mack." Other notorious "pimps," such as Bishop Don "Magic" Juan and Snoop Dogg, appear in the clip.
"Nelly does his thing, lives in his estate, drives around in this car, and then comes here to hang out," Boom said. "It's a groovy, '70s kind of feel. We got the '80s throwback going on now with Missy [Elliott] doing her thing, with this record, we wanted to take it even a decade further back, blaxploitation and the whole thing."
"Pimp Juice," which features such memorable lines as "I don't like how you actin'/ Treat you like you're from Milwaukee, send you Green Bay Packin'," is a cruising anthem and commentary of sorts on the perils of dating.
Boom, who directed Nelly's "Dilemma" and videos for the St. Lunatics, pitched his concept to Nelly with pictures of the pimp references he had in mind. "Nelly is one of my favorite people to work with," Boom said. "Working with him and the Lunatics is like family."
While Nelly shot a video in January for his Justin Timberlake collaboration "Work It", it will only air internationally for the time being.
Angry Timberlake fans have radio programmers to blame. A Nelly spokesperson said "Pimp Juice" was selected as the fourth Nellyville single because the song was already garnering airplay, which is similar to what happened with "Dilemma".
News Sorce from MTV.
3.03.2003
Nelly is planning on buying into a Craftsman Truck team starting at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina on March 14, according to the Associated Press. The NASCAR truck will be rocking a new paint scheme and will feature Nelly's Vokal clothing label logo. ...
News Sorce from MTV.
Nelly, Ashanti, Musiq and B2K took two awards each at the 17th annual Soul Train Music Awards Saturday at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California.
Nelly won R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year for Nellyville (beating Nas, LL Cool J and Ashanti) and was honored with the 2003 Sammy Davis Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year.
News Sorce from MTV.
2.24.2003
Even though most of the walls of flame during his performance were onscreen projections, Nelly raised the heat in the Garden to sweltering with an energetic display of pop charisma and R&B sensuality. He started by descending from the ceiling on a rope for "Hot in Herre," and was joined by fan-wielding dancers in short-shorts as he urged us to "take off all our clothes." There's no question Nelly planned his pyrotechnic display long ago, but the smoke and flames seemed in questionable taste just days after nearly 100 people died in a club inferno caused by onstage pyrotechnics. After a few bars of "Hot in Here," Nelly was joined by Kelly Rowland for "Dilemma." Rowland, who emerged from a glass pyramid at the back of the stage, wore a short white dress and heels and sang in a sultry voice as Nelly serenaded her.
News Sorce from MTV.
2.23.2003
Who says members of the hip-hop community don't like to get gussied up? Well, a lot of people do, and rightfully so — but for the Grammy Awards some of your favorite performers plan on getting cleaner than a bucket full of chitterlings when they stroll on the red carpet. There are a couple of folks, however, who say they're going to keep it gully as usual on Sunday.
And just like every MC who gets on the mic needs a hype producer to help make them sound good in the studio, they also need a cutting-edge stylist to keep them looking good on TV. A few people who pull clothes for your favs told us the stories behind the outfits you'll soon be ogling.Outfit: A custom suit by a top secret designer.
Cost: If you have to ask, you can't afford it. And as the king of Nellyville, this multiplatinum dirty probably has enough cheese to spend on a golden suit of armor if he wanted to.
Getting in gear: Nelly's gear was no hassle. He chose a designer, and in less than a week he and the St. Lunatics all had new threads.
Stylist's recollections: "This is the first time he'll wear a suit at a major event. He was real excited this year," says Nell's sister, Jackie, who also handles the duties of making sure he stays so fresh and so clean. "He don't wear the Gucci and Versace because they don't fit him well, they're too tight. He got a custom-made suit to fit baggy."
Thinking on his feet: Nelly must have been listening to Jay-Z's new jam, "Excuse Me Miss," because not only is he leaving the Vokal at home, but for one night he's turning his back on Air Force Ones. Yes, the gold-toothed rapper will be sprinkling pimp juice all over when he dons a pair of hard bottoms, or as the Jiggaman calls them, "Scooby-Doos."
News Sorce from MTV.
2.20.2003
Nelly had just finished Nellyville when an unknown St. Louis producer by the name of Bam handed him a skeleton track sampling Patti LaBelle's "Love, Need and Want You."
"I heard the beat and started playing around with it, writing stuff," Nelly recalled last fall. "And then I wrote the whole song out."
Nelly liked what he was hearing and decided to make it a last-minute addition to his album. Once he returned to the studio, his vision for the song changed. "I thought, 'Whoa, I need a girl for this!' "
The rapper instantly thought of a friend he met on the "TRL" tour the year before. "He wanted Kelly [Rowland] from the beginning," Nelly's manager, Tony Davis, said. "He had in mind what kind of sound he was looking for."
Nelly phoned the Destiny's Child singer and a few days and dozens of takes later, "Dilemma" was born.
"I remember him telling me how Kelly is a perfectionist and kept wanting to do it over and over and over until she got it just right," Davis said.
Rowland enjoyed every minute of it. "I love Nelly," she said on the set of the song's video. "This song is so catchy. Nelly has a great ear. He came up with this really catchy hook, 'I love you/ I need you,' and everybody sings it! A lot of people can relate to it, people find themselves in the dilemma. I just had a lot of fun recording the song. It didn't even feel like work."
Once "Dilemma" was finished, Nelly played the track for Destiny's Child's manager, Mathew Knowles. "I said immediately, 'This is a #1 song,' " Knowles recalled. "And Destiny's Child has had seven #1s, so I know one when I hear one."
Knowles was right. Radio programmers flocked to the track once Nellyville dropped, prompting Nelly to release it as the second single. Within a few weeks, "Dilemma" was sitting atop the Billboard singles chart, where it would stay for two months. In January, it was nominated for the Record of the Year Grammy.
The success of "Dilemma" forced Rowland to rush her solo album into stores ) and served as a nice propeller for her solo career. "Kelly has a beautiful voice and in no way is she a background singer," Knowles said. " 'Dilemma' showcased her the way it should have. She's a star in her own right."
The song, centered around Rowland's hook, "No matter what I do/ All I think about is you/ Even when I'm with my boo/ Boy, you know I'm crazy over you," is about having feelings for someone while in a relationship with someone else. Like Rowland noted, it's easy to relate to.
Nelly's smooth delivery of such raps as, "I never been the type to break up a happy home/ But there's something 'bout baby girl, I just can't leave her alone," and the soothing groove of "Dilemma" gave it an even wider appeal.
"The melody, the old familiar song, that's what I think attracted a lot of people to it," Davis said.
One listener was particularly excited about the origin of the song.
"I was so happy to hear them use my song, I jumped for joy," Patti LaBelle said. "It's the same feeling I had when I heard 'Lady Marmalade.' It's 26 years old, so I recorded that song before either of them were born. And Kelly is such a sweet person that I would welcome her into my heart and my home. Actually if I ever had a daughter, I would envision Kelly."
LaBelle, who also claims to be a big Nelly fan (" 'Hot in Herre' coincides very well with my menopause," she said), has garnered increased attention since "Dilemma," especially when performing live. "I've added their version to the introduction of my song and the crowd just goes wild," she said.
News Sorce from MTV.
1.28.2003
Nelly's nods come in the categories Album of the Year and Best Rap Album (for Nellyville), Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (for his co-op with Kelly Rowland, "Dilemma"), among others. News Sorce from MTV.
1.27.2003
Grammy organizers revealed on Monday that Nelly and Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland will hit the stage together as performers at the 45th annual Grammy Awards. Grammy reps would not say which song or songs the two will perform, but the pair's duet, "Dilemma," which is nominated for Record of the Year, seems to be a good bet.
Nelly and Kelly are the first performers confirmed by the Recording Academy for this year's ceremony, which will be held at New York's Madison Square Garden on February 23. Nelly and seven other artists are heading into the show at the front of the Grammy pack, tied with five nominations apiece. Nelly will vie for Album of the Year, Best Male Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap Album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in addition to Record of the Year.
News Sorce from MTV.
1.23.2003
The NBA's All-Star weekend (February 6-9) always packs its share of ballers, and this year's no different, with Nelly, Ja Rule, Jermaine Dupri, the Clipse, Nappy Roots, and B2K among the artists playing the Club NBA music stage. They join Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, who'll perform at the televised "Read to Achieve" charity event on February 8, as artists heading to Atlanta for the gala weekend.
