Nelly – Interview

On September 14, 2004, he will become the first rap artist ever to release two new albums simultaneously, Sweat and Suit. Get this clear: Sweat and Suit are two separate albums full of all-new, high quality material. That’s right, two albums. Not a double album: Two fully realized albums – each musically whole, conceptually complete and able to stand on its own.

Rarely do extended experiments of vision such as Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew or Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life make it to the record shelves or your favorite online retailer. With new albums containing collaborations with a wide range of today’s hottest artists including: Tim McGraw, Snoop Dogg, Ron Isley, Christina Aguilera, Fat Joe, Remy Ma and more, that unknown kid from St. Louis has evolved into a multi-talented artist, not content to retread the well-defined path of others or rest on his laurels. Sweat and Suit chronicles the best of both sides of life; the ups and downs; the good and bad. The albums provide a glimpse into the thoughts and life of the man behind the hits. “This time I was able to open up a little more and let people know that there are other sides of Nelly,” he says.

We talk one on one with Nelly!

You are one of the busiest men I’ve ever met.

Tell me about it.

How is life?

Great.

Congrats on the Grammy nominations.

Thanks, I really appreciate it.

The double record seemed really ambitious—were you nervous about it getting away from you or did you have so many songs that you didn’t have a choice?

You start doing music and you think of ways of presenting it and doing it in a way it has never been done before.

I really liked “Suit” because it flowed with you—it sounded really natural as if you were born to be an R&B guy.

You might be right.

When did the idea come to separate the two albums—one R&B and the other hip-hop?

I thought it would be good and a hot feel. I wanted it to be hot. You know fans like the “Hot In Heere” and all that but they also like the “Dilemma.” That made it easier for me to do this.

Now that you are so successful it has to be odd because there are so many haters.

(Laughs) Yeah there is. I guess you’re always going to get that. Once you get here no one is going to take it easy on you. People don’t hate for any kind of reason other than they want to.

Jealous is always ugly.

Yeah.

You have the music, tour, and all the press—and now a movie. Is the work fun or are you searching for a break?

Both. Its fun, but you need that rest. That is something I haven’t done. My New Year’s resolution is to get a vacation. I’m not talking about a weekend. I’m talking about a month or two. I don’t even have to go no where—I can just stay at home. The idea is just not doing nothing.

A lot of artists get that rest—

–I’m just trying to keep it moving. After I get a few more projects off the ground like the rest of the Lunatics and the label I’ll rest my neck for a minute you know what I mean?

Do you want to get the label going so you can get more rest?

Yeah, but it’s hard.

Especially when you have to be out front.

You have to promote. That is your main tool and it’s hard when you’re your main asset. (We both laugh) When you are the main tool you have as far as promotion.

You aren’t Pepsi—you can just put it out there.

You know. (We both laugh)

You can’t do a video and have someone else in it.

Never. (Laughs)

No matter how busy you are, and this is the third time I’ve interviewed you—you are always a nice guy and take time out.

You know I treat people the way I want to be treated no matter who it is or what the situation is. You’d like to hope that people would understand sometimes but that isn’t always the case. Other than that I just try to be cool—you ain’t did nothing to me you’re just trying to do your job so I can’t be mad at you. (We both laugh)

Is it the same with fans?

You try to be like that with fans. At one time I was that person. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d been in the airport and Janet Jackson came through the airport. I might have freaked out too. You know what I’m saying.

I definitely do.

[Pretending to scream] “Please, please, anything you can—take a picture of your boob!” (We both start laughing hysterically)

I remember doing something similar to Bruce Smith [a great retired defensive end for the Buffalo Bills] in a mall and I felt like such a fool later, but the guy was a hero.

That’s what happens. Sometimes you have to say no though. Sometimes I’m running late and sometimes people understand that and sometimes they don’t. They have to realize that I probably have 50 people a day asking for autographs and if you stop for each of them throughout your day you’d never get anything done. What if I’m running through an airport and three fans want to get a picture with me but I’m running late for a plane to do a show where 60,000 people are waiting for me. So do I disappoint the 60,000 people or the 3 people right away? I just explain real quickly that I’m late.

You have the Lunatics who are really tight with you does it keep you sane because you aren’t separated from everyone?

That is what keeps me sane. If you got your buddies they are the ones to tell me I’m trippin’.

Are you hoping to get more movie roles?

I’d like to, if there are movies that would be good. I’m not going to say acting is easier, but doing movies are easier because I can be in a movie for three months and then take the rest of the year off. As apposed to music it is 365 because you have to make the music, you have to promote it and then you have to tour and when it’s done it’s a whole new cycle.

Also, you are making music so it’s yours—you have to do it.

Right. I have to come up with the concepts whereas with movies it’s all done for you. You show up and here it is. (We both laugh)

I wonder if fans recognize how hard it is to create music out of thin air.

That is why you get a lot of musicians who can act and actors can’t be musicians. We are already actors because we are doing music and then we do videos.

You seem to write songs that are completely hooks—what I mean is that they flow like water. They sound like they were easy to write—but I’m not naive enough to believe that. Does it come out easy for you?

It takes some effort and sometimes it comes out like it sounds—but sometimes it’s a spur of the moment thing when I need something. A lot of things do just come out but others done.

Not only do you have to rhyme, but you have to write those big hooks.

I write things people want to hear.

Do you think people don’t give you enough credit for coming up with these hits?

People don’t want to give you credit for things that you deserve. Some people still don’t know what it is for sure. I’ve got more critical acclaim for these two records than anything else. I don’t think I heard anyone say they didn’t like the “Suit” album.

It was something a little bit different. But you’ll always get fans who complain because they don’t want you to change—you can’t win right?

You can’t win. They want you to be human but they don’t want to let you be human.

Are you going to take any time off for the holiday?

I’m going to go home and enjoy some time off with my family and all that. I’m going to chill out and kick back and relax.

+ Charlie Craine