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St. Lunatics were an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. Their first hit, "Gimme What U Got", gained popularity in 1996. In 2000, the group signed with Universal Records.
Torhi Harper (born c. 1979 or 1980) better known by his stage name Murphy Lee, is an American rapper who is best known as a member of the St. Louis, Missouri-based hip hop group, St. Lunatics. Following the commercial success of group cohort Nelly in the early 2000s, Lee signed with his label Derrty Entertainment , an imprint of Universal ...
- Life and Career
- Artistry
- Personal Life
- Other Ventures
- Philanthropy
- Legal Issues
- Discography
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1974–2000: Early life and start of career
Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. was born on November 2, 1974, in Austin, Texas, the only son of Cornell Haynes and Rhonda Mack. His father served in the Air Force for much of his childhood and when he was seven, his parents divorced. As a teenager, Haynes moved with his mother from St. Louis, Missouri, to University City, a St. Louis County suburb. While in high school, Nelly formed the St. Lunatics with his friends Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, Slo Down, and his half brother City Spud. The group enjoyed...
2000–2003: Breakthrough with Country Grammar and Nellyville
The label released his debut album, Country Grammar, in 2000. The success of its title track as a single (number 7 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 Hot Rap Tracks) led to the album debuting at number three in the Billboard 200 in the U.S. Other singles from the album included "E.I."; "Ride wit Me", featuring City Spud; and "Batter Up", featuring the St. Lunatics. The album was certified 9× platinum by the RIAA on April 27, 2004. Nelly performed as a special guest in the Super Bowl XXXVhalftime show....
2004–2008: Continued success; Sweat, Suit, and Brass Knuckles
Nelly performed in the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, his second time performing in a Super Bowl halftime show. On September 14, 2004, he released two albums, Sweat and Suit. Suit, an R&B-oriented album, debuted at number one on the Billboard albums chart, and Sweat, a rap-oriented album, debuted at number two. From Suit, the slow ballad "Over and Over", an unlikely duet with country music star Tim McGraw, became a crossover hit. On the 2004 NBC television concert special Tim McGraw: Here...
Nelly's rapping style has been described by Peter Shapiro as using "unforgettable hooks based on schoolyard songs, double-dutch chants, and nonsense rhymes" and has a "Missouri twang". AllMusic suggests Nelly's style is based largely on where he comes from: "Nelly's locale certainly informs his rapping style, which is as much country as urban, and ...
Nelly dated singer Ashanti from 2003 to 2013 after meeting at the 2003 Grammy Awards. The two began dating again in 2023. In December 2023, it was reported the couple were expecting their first child together. Nelly has two children from previous relationships: a son named Cornell Hayes III, and a daughter named Chanelle. Nelly also has two adopted...
Nike and Nelly agreed on a one-year deal in 2003 to release a limited-edition sneaker called the "Air Derrty", which was a retro remake of Charles Barkley's signature sneaker. Nelly later signed a shoe deal with Reebok. He has been in ads for Got Milk? and the Ford Motor Company. His energy drink Pimp Juice sold one million cans during the first tw...
Nelly runs the non-profit organization 4Sho4Kids Foundation. He and Jackie Donahue, his sister began the Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign in March 2003 by Nelly after Donahue was diagnosed with leukemia. The campaign attempts to educate African Americans and other minorities about the need for bone marrow transplants; it also tries to register more donors....
Misdemeanor drug-offense conviction
In April 2015, the Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop of Nelly's Prevost tour bus because of non-conforming U.S. Department of Transportation and International Fuel Tax Association stickers. He, a bus driver, and four other people were on board. After a state trooper said that he smelled marijuana, the troopers searched the bus and said that they found drug paraphernalia and marijuana, as well as a substance that they initially believed to be methamphetamine and several handgun...
Tax lien
In 2016, it was reported that there was a $2.4 million tax lien against Nelly due to unpaid taxes owed to the IRS.
Rape arrest
On October 7, 2017, Nelly was arrested in Auburn, Washington, a southern Seattle suburb, on suspicion of second-degree rape after a woman alleged that he invited her onto his tour bus earlier that morning and raped her. Nelly was booked into a Des Moines, Washington, jail and released from custody without charge. He denied wrongdoing; his attorney said that the accusation was "clearly false". On December 14, it was revealed Nelly would not be charged in the case because the alleged victim dec...
Studio albums 1. Country Grammar(2000) 2. Nellyville(2002) 3. Sweat(2004) 4. Suit(2004) 5. Brass Knuckles(2008) 6. 5.0(2010) 7. M.O.(2013) 8. Heartland(2021)
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Nelly reached new audiences by acting in the films Snipes (2001) and The Longest Yard (2005), and reached out to the public by founding the charity 4Sho4Kids. Throughout Nelly’s considerable artistic evolution, his music always found its soul in his hometown of St. Louis.
Hailing from St. Louis, MO, the five-piece rap outfit St. Lunatics formed in 1993 and includes members Ali, Nelly, City Spud, Kyjuan, and Murphy Lee.
Aug 13, 2023 · Here, listed in chronological order, are my picks for the 50 most impactful hip-hop moments in St. Louis — from Nelly to Chingy, Da Hol 9 to Da Banggaz 314, Dr. Jockenstein to Shorty Da Prince,...
Jul 13, 2020 · St. Lunatics feud signals an end to St. Louis' original hip-hop dynasty Nelly and Ali have been going back and forth with their versions of their group's origins, but to what gain?
