Nelly: I'm The Only Rapper From My Era To Gain Success Without A Co-Signer

[RennisDeynolds]

We doing semantics talking about DMX, Ja, Luda....two came from the epicenter of Rap and Atlanta was on the radar.


Nobody was checking for St Louis

 

[audemarzz]

I've been reading album credits since I could read.

 

[audemarzz]

Future had the dungeon family connection and the TI feature put him on the national airwaves. Stimulus in full effect

fixed for the nonwhite population

 

[TaxCollector13459]

fixed for the nonwhite population

T.i. been on a stupid amount of hits fr

 

[banner34]

It's not fair to say Luda had a co-sign because he was signed to Def Jam South and say Nelly did it all on his own when he was signed to Universal, like that was some indy label.

Luda was not on anybody's shyt or radar until he dropped his own music. The first major single from Back For The First Time featured a no name in Shawnna, not someone like Foxy Brown or Lil' Kim. To me, he has the same claim as Nelly from that time period.

Luda was a popular dj in Atlanta. He already had connections to the industry with timberland.

 

[Ripp]

I remember Bizzy Bone telling a story about Nelly giving Lazy Bone his demo in like ‘99 or so and he shytted on him for trying to sound like Wish lol…A Massive miss but Nelly was looked as a novelty act especially being from fukking St. Louis which was foreign to a lot of hip hop listeners at the time.

I grew up 3 hours away from St. Louis and coming up in the hood/country type of environment, I understood it even though I didn’t understand some of the slang Nelly was using but

Nelly is definitely a GOAT…not for his lyricism but for shifting the culture, creating a classic debut that went Diamond and creating timeless records.

I dont think it was a miss... Nelly ending up with Cardan as a ghost/co writer is why he really blew up. Nelly was lowkey baring in some of his songs and im pretty sure that was Cardans pen dropping those subtle punches and cunning lyrics

 

[AVXL]

Who co signed Lil Jon?

You could say JD by association

 

[banner34]

Future

His cousin is Rico wade from the dungeon family. He was already connected to the industry.

 

[Taadow]

It's not fair to say Luda had a co-sign because he was signed to Def Jam South and say Nelly did it all on his own when he was signed to Universal, like that was some indy label.

Luda was not on anybody's shyt or radar until he dropped his own music. The first major single from Back For The First Time featured a no name in Shawnna, not someone like Foxy Brown or Lil' Kim. To me, he has the same claim as Nelly from that time period.

I see the point you trying to make, but:

1. Nelly is kinda right because he had no credits nowhere else or help from any artist before “Country Grammar” came out. That was it. He had to sink or swim with that being his intro to the world.

1B. That was the time Universal (if you remember) went looking for every regional act they could find
that had some kind of buzz anyplace (Nelly, Cash Money, Li’l Troy, Miracle, Ying Yang Twins, RAM Squad)
and put them out. So as you say, Universal was gonna make sure they got a look...but Nelly is the one
(especially looking at that list) that truly was the surprise and the staying power (at least as a solo).

2. As somebody not from the South, I never saw Luda’s name until it was on the ad for J.Prince’s
Realest Ni—as Down South compilation. But I never heard him until he was on Timbaland’s tape doing
“Phat Rabbit”. I said “gottdamn this nicca snapping”, but he had two strong co-signs off that one song,
and that’s what made me start watching.

 

[Taadow]

Who co signed Lil Jon?

Lil Jon owe his career to Too $hort.

When short came back from retirement in Atlanta, he was letting (then) young, hungry,
unknown niccas make beats (Jon, Jazze Pha, SBX, Kool Ace) - but it was cool because
Too Short fans are loyal.

First Jon beat I remember was the remix of “Couldn’t Be A Better Player”.
The OG version with the Ant Banks beat was some smooth playa chit - classic Short,
but the Jon version went hard because it was crunk.

Before Jon & them blew up, Jon was producing like half the beats on Short albums.

On the Eastside Boyz’ first album, I think Short had like 3 features on there.

 

[CoryMack]

No disrespect to them but they didn’t go Diamond, shyt…platinum either.

but they had tremendous success and they came out in a different era.

rap was mainstream when nelly came out and he had the internet to help him. plus his was mostly bubblegum pop rap, not the dedicated street shyt Bun and Pimp Chad (RIP) were providing.

 

[Yehuda]

I remember Bizzy Bone telling a story about Nelly giving Lazy Bone his demo in like ‘99 or so and he shytted on him for trying to sound like Wish lol…

He tried to get signed by layzie bone. Layzie listened to his demo and called him a biter.

Nelly said thats Cap

Nelly Denies Ever Beefing With Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

So is the story true or not?

 

[richaveli83]

He didn’t hold Murphy Lee back at all, he pushed Murph when nobody wanted him around. How do you think Murphy Lee could get on Shake Ya Tailfeather, you know damn well Diddy wasn’t asking for him.

 

[Alvin]

“People don’t understand when I say I had no co-signers,” Nelly tells ESSENCE. “There was no one to back Nelly. There was no one to stand up for Nelly. People showed me love but there was no one to stand up for me. There was no one solidified to say, ‘Yo, he’s good.’ You can’t name me nobody that’s successful in my era or in what I do that didn’t have a co-signer. Everybody had a co-signer, but Nelly. Everybody!”


Referencing peers like Ja Rule and Kanye West who were affiliated with Roc-a-fella records early in their careers, Nelly adds, “I came out with a new sound from a new place, a new face and we literally had to work to accomplish and to be here the way that we are.” Pausing to reflect on that success, he adds, “You’re grateful.”



Beyond setting records and being recognized by the entertainment industry, Nelly also sees the fruits of his labor in the wave of new artists on the music scene. “The whole radio almost sounds like Nelly at this point,” he says. “Not saying that these brothers and sisters aren’t putting their own type of thing on it, of course they are, just like I had influences with my style.”

In contrast to common criticisms of artists biting other entertainers’ style, Nelly is happy to hear remnants of his sound in rap today. “I think that’s a blessing. That shows your impact. That’s what you want as an artist, to inspire.”


Black Entertainers Took Over Atlanta For The BET Hip Hop Awards

Cudda Love by way of Ma$e, so essentially Ma$e face card got his foot in the door.

 

[Astroslik]