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Nelly's Twin Releases Showcase Two Styles
09/03/2004 5:44 PM, Reuters
Rashaun Hall
Make no mistake about it: Nelly is
not releasing a double album like his fellow hip-hoppers
OutKast and Jay-Z.
Instead, the St. Louis native is going the way of Bruce
Springsteen and Guns N' Roses by releasing two separate albums
simultaneously.
Due Sept. 14, "Sweat" and "Suit" (Fo' Reel/Universal)
showcase two distinct musical styles. "Sweat" will feature club
anthems and more hardcore material, while "Suit" is all about
being "grown and sexy," Nelly says, and will feature more
melodic offerings.
"I started out recording one album, but I just had so much
material that I two," Nelly says. "I thought about doing a
double album, but I wanted to do something different. I talked
to the label about the ups and downs of releasing two albums at
the same time, and we agreed that it could work.
"I have had fans support both of the kinds of music that I
have done," he adds. "The hope is they will go out and get both
albums, but if they like one style more than the other, that's
the one they'll get."
GUEST STARS
The albums feature a host of notable guest artists
including Ronald Isley, Christina Aguilera and Tim McGraw.
"These are people that I have always wanted to work with
one way or another," Nelly says. "I have been seeing Tim and
his wife around the awards show circuit and at celebrity events
since 'Country Grammar.' I've always respected what he's done,
and vice versa. We talked about working together, and I just
thought that would be big. So when the opportunity came about,
we did it."
Universal decided to launch the albums by releasing
simultaneous singles to radio. The upbeat "Flap Ya Wings"
serves as the introduction to "Sweat," while Jaheim-featured
"My Place" is the first offering from "Suit."
The singles are No. 54 and No. 4, respectively, on the
Billboard Hot 100.
"I have always had great success in the clubs, and I like
to party," Nelly says of "Flap Ya Wings." "When I heard the
song, I liked it immediately, and I wanted to do it because I
knew it would work in the clubs."
As for the higher-charting "My Place," the rapper says it
"was a no-brainer."
"I knew I had to get Jaheim on the track, because he is
like the Teddy Pendergrass of our day," he says. "He is a
crooner who sings with real emotion."
ENTREPRENEURIAL PURSUITS
In addition to "Sweat" and "Suit," Nelly is involved in a
host of non-music endeavors, such as his energy drink Pimp
Juice and his Vokal and Apple Bottoms clothing lines.
"Hip-hop has allowed us to be black entrepreneurs," he
adds. "I want to follow the lead of people like Russell
Simmons, P. Diddy and Jay-Z. It remains to be seen what happens
to a successful hip-hop artist in the future, but I want to be
here beyond just the music."
To that end, Nelly is also breaking into films with his
role in a remake of the 1974 Burt Reynolds starrer' "The
Longest Yard," with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock .
"I have been asked since 2000 to do films, but music has
always come first," the rapper says. "When you do films, you
need to have the time to commit to it. Also, having little
experience, I needed to find a role that I was comfortable
playing. This role felt right to me."
Based on Nelly's strong sales for his previous three sets
-- more than 10.2 million copies of "Country Grammar,"
"Nellyville" and "Da Derrty Versions (The Reinvention),"
according to Nielsen SoundScan -- expectations are high for
"Sweat" and "Suit."
Nelly remains humble about the potential of the double
release.
"No one knows how this is going to go," he says. "I'm just
playing it by ear. I had my plan up to this point. Now, it's up
to the fans.
"Everyone has supported everything that I have done thus
far," he adds. "I think that I have put the time and work into
. I just hope people enjoy them. That's all I can ask for. I
would sound ungrateful if I asked for anything more. My fans
have given me a lifetime of career achievements that five
rappers couldn't ask for."
(Ed Christman in New York contributed to this report.)
Reuters/Billboard
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