Welcome To NellyNelly.com
Cornell Haynes Jr. was born November 2, 1974 and for most of his life he has called St. Louis, Missouri home. Not to be confused with songbird Nelly Furtado, Haynes took the stage name Nelly back in the mid 90s when he and some fellow rappers formed a band called the St. Lunatics. He performed with the group independently from 1996 to 2000, when he was signed to Universal Records. At this point it was decided by the band members that Nelly had a better chance at the big time on his own and the plan was to reunite with the St. Lunatics once Nelly had broken the proverbial ice with his individualistic style. Nelly calls it ‘rappin’ the blues’.
As a St. Louis street kid, Nelly spent his time hanging out with the boys in the hood, where drugs and street crime are a part of the landscape. It wasn't until he moved to University City in 1993, that he discovered baseball and found out he was good at it. Not just good, but good enough to attract scouts who were looking to sign Nelly up as a pro in the big leagues.
As fate would have it, Nelly was captivated by the rap and hip hop genre, and felt connected with the music of Tupak, MC, LL Cool J, Run DMC and others who had pioneered the hip-hop music scene. His growing interest in music had helped spawn the band, the St. Lunatics and in 1996 they released a studio single, “Gimme What Ya’ Got” and later a song called “Who’s the Boss”.
Meanwhile, Nelly pursued his baseball career, playing shortstop in the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association. It seemed to Nelly and everyone else that he would become a pro baseball player.
As we now know, Nelly is considered to be at the top of his game in hip-hop, rap and crossover stuff. He is enjoying the success that brings recognition of his creativity to him and leaves his fans wanting more. Nelly is also part owner of the basketball team, The Charlotte Bobcats, along with Michael Jordan and Robert Johnson. Music, sports and his two children paint the perfect portrait of Nelly.
Nelly Furtado exploded onto the pop music scene with her debut album, “Whoa, Nelly” in 2000. This incredibly sexy songbird hails from Victoria, Canada and won her first Grammy for the hit single “I’m Like A Bird” from the album. Her latest endeavor is a fabulous remix version of the song “In God’s Hands” in a duet with country star Keith Urban released in April. Nelly Furtado admits her fondness for country music and she could not have chosen a better match than Urban who brings his own amazing style and sweet melody to the song. The song with Keith Urban can be heard online at itunes.
Nelly Furtado has been nominated for Best Pop Vocal at the MTV 2008 music awards in June.
