#525 - Nelly

Check check check. Yo, y'all know what it is.

It's your man, Nelly I and were rolling out right here on the Bootleg Cavs Show.

Hey, before we start the episode, we're gonna remind everybody, man, we got one of the biggest radio shows in the country, syndicated in almost one hundred cities all over. Shout out to iHeartRadio. All right, some of the latest cities that we've been able to add. Man, We want to give a shout out to ninety three point nine to Beat in Honolulu. That's right, Hawaii, we over there going crazy. I also want to give a shout out Hot ninety eight three and Tucson. Shout out to Tucson going crazy.

That iHeart Radio app.

That's right.

Let's get into the interview, all.

Right, man, Bootleg cav show.

We got a special guest, an absolute legend, Nelly is in the building.

What's up, Nelly Man?

How you doing?

I'm good, brother, I mean, I gotta tell you bro.

First of all, Country Grammar was a very important album in my life.

Thog, thank you congratulations.

I know it's been twenty five years for a couple of years were twenty seven years now.

Well, the song actually came out in in ninety nine, but the album.

Came out thousand. Album the album Right came out in two thousand.

But we are okay because I saw you it redropped a couple of years ago.

But so the song yeah.

And We're Crazy, the song nationally is dropped in ninety nine, but the song locally was originally did in like ninety eight, and then I re recorded it once we got the deal with Universal Right, and then we put that out in ninety nine, and then the album was in two thousand. So Country Gramma the song actually been out for a minute, yo.

So the best part of the iHeart Awards for me yesterday was seeing the Saint.

Lunatics Whatch You Gonna Stay?

Man?

Which is so fire because Free Cities was by ship Oh man, such a slept On album too.

Thank you brother, thank you. Yeah. Man, those are my brothers, you know.

And it's crazy because me and City I always the City is my little brothers. Say that, but that's why I used to wear a band aid for obviously. But Keywan and Murphy Lee or real brothers biologically you should say that. And I've been knowing Murph and Keywan since Murf was like eight years old and Keiwan was like eleven twelve. So we grew up literally together, you know what I mean, doing other shit, and we just didn't know that music was going to be, you know, where we.

Would make our impact on the world.

But man, when you got that family base, yeah, you go through shit, right.

I about to say it was good to see because I know last year there was like, you know whatever, stories around, so it was good to see.

When I saw that, I was like, hell yeah yeah.

But it's I think, you know, it's it's sometimes confusion because when you're going about things and you're not paying attention to certain things, you have no idea what's happening, you know, But then as you get older, you're assuming what happened. But then when you find out, oh, man, that wasn't the case. Then It's easy. We just needed to have a conversation to be.

Like, bro, lack of communication.

Bro, that's not what happened. This is actually how that went. And at the time, you know, Mirph was super young. He had just graduated from high school basically, or probably about a year and.

A half removed.

And yeah, man, I mean, you know, things happened so fast as well. I just we just needed to have a conversation to and everything needed to be explained. But at the end of the day, I love for one another will never subside over business.

I mean well always it would always.

Yeah, yeah, were you and your wife's initial like like reuniting?

Was it at the versus?

This is the thing when I went to Versus, I actually I had somebody with me right when I went to when I what I'm.

Saying, but you guys shared the stage, and you know, the internet was like oh ship at the same time I.

Was, I didn't want it tints.

And when I walked in, her mother has saw me, and I knew that Mom was gonna go back and let her know that I was in the building. So we was here to celebrate with these brothers two of my cats, yep Joe and joh And to celebrate their music. So I didn't I didn't want a tints and we didn't even talk. I just went over, you know, we got the hug, rate, the eyes, and boom and we didn't talk for probably another almost eight to nine months

I think that's awesome. I think it's so dope. And by the way, kudos to you guys figuring out how to hide a wedding. How hard was that for that not to get out until after it happened.

Well, once I found out that, once we found out that she was pregnant, it was just like, yeah, I didn't want this to be.

Not a I don't want to say like a child.

We exactly Well, you guys are probably already planning, you know.

Well, we hadn't talked about it. We hadn't talked about any of that yet. I hadn't, you know, But I was like, yo, you know what, let's just knock this out because we're going to be doing so much and everything's moving so fast, and I didn't want to yeah, I didn't want her to be, you know, a baby mama. I like, because we already knew where we were in life. And you know, if we're back like this, this must be what this supposed to be.

You know, I love it to be cares like.

Sometimes people's timing is off, whether it's like points in your life, doesn't mean it's the wrong person, but maybe it's the wrong timing exactly. So you go through whatever you go through, whatever she goes through. You guys evolved, but you guys know each other yo, and love.

Each other well.

Any relationship, man, I based any relationship on does this person bring more good to your life than bad? Any relationship. It could be your relationship with your parents, your kids, your.

Homie, anything.

Does this person bring more good to your life than bad? And if they do, then great, you know what I mean. And then but if they don't, then you know that you might need to remove this person from being able to get some of your time.

And that's what I think for me and her.

After we got a chance to look and was like, Yo, a lot of the shit that we was bitching about we cool.

Yeah, for sure, I love it, man.

We were way more happier than we thought being pissed off.

Was how cool? Because I know it was a surprised that she introduced you. She had a dope speech for you.

Man, I didn't know she was doing that. I had no idea.

I thought she was going to the seat because we had just left the dressing room, and you know, she was like, go killing bag, look okay, boom boom. She was like, they're going to their seat. And then I'm backstage and I got you know.

My ins and you hear her ins and I'm like, I know that voice.

And then I looked to the screen, I'm like, wow, wow, that got be like yeah, but it was dope, man, it was dope.

Yeah, that's my that's my baby. Man, she did a thing.

I want to go back. You're one of the greatest selling hip hop artists of all time. I feel like you truly evolved the genre in a way that is still her today. I don't think we get future. I don't think we get some of these melodic artists without you. I mean, damn you. You influenced fifty in my opinion, you know what I mean, Like, well.

I think we all influence each other, right, So without Celo without good soulful green, there's no there might not be no Lelly without.

Even both thugs back in the day arrested development. You know what I'm saying.

And you get a lot of you know a lot of the people that are you know, melodic, and it's about influence, because we all influence each other. So I'm just happy that I can pass on inspiration and like you're saying, make it so that it's it's it's not hearing something.

Irregular to be on the radio.

And then you got brothers like t Pain and Acon that just take that ship to a whole nother level, man, because t Pain is.

The goat, Like he's a goat man. He's one of the most alien level talented people. Man. People don't realize that guy.

Damn that his mental his knowledge of music, the way he can put ship together. Like you know, I grew up in music my whole life. I'm not even the first one in my family to even do a record. My uncle Rudy rest in Peace, did an album and nineteen eighty eight, and he's the one who taught me about, you know, just music in general, and how to count balls, how to do certain things and I was in band. I did the drum line thing. Yeah, I played the

Do you feel like because when it comes to prolific runs, I think of your run from Country Grammar to Sweatsuit. I mean the fact you're able to drop two albums on the same day and they each went one and two on the chart Nellyville in between that it's one of the greatest runs in history.

Thanks.

Do you feel like you get your flowers?

When we talk about the goat conversation, I don't trop off of it like that.

Yeah I don't.

I literally don't like I talked shit with you if you want talk, But because somebody else, I don't worry about it. I always say, you know, long as they they can put my flowers on my grad you know what I'm saying, And that's cool with me because my job is first is the fathers, the husband is the you know what I'm saying is protecting and providing and setting changing the course of what my family was doing because I was blessed to be in that position.

So that's what I care about.

First.

If it comes, it comes, and I feel like a lot of times it may not be the right time. Like we talked about timing, Everything is timing, you know what I mean. Like sometimes you got to look back to understand what somebody like a Terrell Owens did or meant to the league, or what a Randy Moss meant to the league, because you know, when they're doing it, it could be little things that make you overlook them

I'm somewhere like Saint Louis.

Yeah, I mean for people you cut that light off for quick head, it keeps blinking. That's fine, speaking of Saint Louis. Saint Louis recently obviously, it's it's it's been in the neuce for the wrong reasons. It's one of the most dangerous places in America, if not the most dangerous place in America.

You know, country Grammar. While it was Ride with Me and a lot of hits on there, it was also a lot of street ship on there. Still the show was on there.

You know, what point in time did you realize, because I feel like you had a real conscientious effort to be like, you know what, I'm I don't want to limit myself in this box. You had to, you know, I mean the come up was quick, but I feel like you have like a real conscientious effort to try to kind of like make sure you weren't just stuck in a box there that immediately or was it like, oh, we got something here and then some of the pop looks started coming in and.

Period like, but I didn't understand the whole thing of pop. It wasn't like I was trying to go pop. I just did the records, and you know that's what That's what the label does. That's their expertise of saying, Yo, this can play her, this can work her, and this can work there. It's not like I'm going into the studio make a pop head. I don't know how to fucking do that.

I don't know. You know what I'm saying.

I just go in there and if I hear a beat, I like, I'm gonna do what I can do on that beat. Now, I grew up hustling anyway, and you know when you hustle as you always trying to keep a door open. You know what I'm saying.

But obviously I've.

Sold drugs, but I've sold every ding. I sold burnout phones, I sold T shirts. I said, you know, could whatever it's in demand, That's where I was putting the energy. And it wasn't no different with this music because I feel like, yo, if I can get it, hit her, get it hit her, get it, get hit to her. Because if you look at all the songs, none of them sound the like Country Grandma. Don't sound like e I Yeah, don't sound like batter Up, batter Up, don't

Like Dilemma number one sounds different.

Yeah, one, Air Force one, Yep, Pimp Juice, Grills, on and on and on.

Yeah, justin Dream, all of that ship is different. None of those songs. Another slept On, Classic bad Boys Too soundtrack. None of those songs sound alike.

And when you are able to have that type of options, you know what I'm saying, you can always find an outlet.

I feel.

Yeah, have you heard the Playboy Cardi album? He sampled Ashanti's Only You record? Have you heard the song? No, I haven't, but I heard that he did. It's it's crazy because to me, that's one of the best beats, like ever, like that beat his fucking insane shout to your girl because that song's crazy.

But yeah, like he did it.

At Rolling Loud And when I tell you like crazy, the place exploded.

It was it was crazy.

Yeah, it was yeah, man, Yeah, she's you know, I'm a fan of my wife.

Would you and your wife ever do like a Jay and Bay type of album?

I think if it organically comes, if like if we're working, we're doing songs in the studio and we start putting the pieces together and it comes like that, I think definitely possibilities.

We do a lot of shows together as well.

For sure.

Yeah, you guys are in a lot of shows together anyway, because like if you're going to book a dope show, like for guys like me.

I mean it's even we even discussing potential residencies in Vegas together and things like that. We're trying to you know, the options are there. We're just trying to make sure things are what they need to do.

I always wonder this.

I feel like from a fan's perspective, there was always like a like it was. It was probably made up by by me and my friends, but I always felt like this like rivalry between you and Ludacris, because you guys were very simultaneously like cracking at the same time.

Legend. And then he ended up but he ended up signing Chingy from your city.

Well yeah, him and but more so Shaka, right, more so more so Shaka.

But it wasn't a here's the thing. I was happy for Chingy.

It was other people that was in the in the mix, that was in.

Your on your side.

Yeah, yeah, that.

Was manipulating the situation because they weren't a part of what's going on. And because me and Chinky was cool, Chingy was cool with all of the tics. If you look at that video, Keywan and Murph is in that video, right, you know what I'm saying. I didn't really have a problem because I told CHINGI yo, bro, I got to put out MRF like murf is my is my focus right now, and I would never knock.

So he went on and ran with that and.

Had a good run.

Man, are you crazy? That's that's that's another one of my little billows. Man, he's actually going on tour with us.

Yeah, I mean, dude, Kingi's got records.

Yeah, Man, Saint Louis got put on the map that around that time on.

One hundred huge way.

Man, you were just I know you met Sexy Read last night, but I saw you guys just chop it up in the other room in there. How cool is it to see, like, first of all, Saint Louis have somebody like Sexy Red. That's like on the fourth floort of pop culture right now. She got a big record with Bruno Mars. Like now, Saint Louis is known for because it's Nellyville, but it's Sexyville kind of too right now.

I mean, you know she's she's doing the thing.

Man. You're just so happy for her because she's honesty. Whether you you know some people you may agree, you may not agree, but the thing about it is you're not You will never say she isn't real. She's honest and coming from where she's come from, and she's she's feeding a lot of people from where she is, and she's also appealing to fans all around the world and people who accept her for who she is. And you always want that for anybody, man. And like I said, again,

Yeah, we hold we we hold.

Littles down and she's she's doing a great job.

What I used to have some Vocal obviously back in the day, Back in the day, they used to be at Burlington co Factory going crazy.

Yeah.

When it comes to fashion, dog like the band Aid vocal clothing.

The backwards jerseys.

I mean you had your fingerprints all throughout, just like fashion trends for real, Like when you go to these.

Two thousands parties, people be dressing like, yeah.

Well, I was always told, man, you're you haven't made it until you're a costume, until until somebody's dressing up like you on Halloween, and you know that's what and then Nelly costume, that's when you know, Yeah, man, everybody had their own stamp on it. So I mean, yeah, I mean, you're thankful, bro, You're grateful and.

You've touched a lot of people. So that's what that's what being an artist is.

Talk to me about.

Uh, you know, over the years, man, you know, country music has obviously become more pop culture than ever, but you were the first person in hip hop to step into that genre with Tim McGraw over and over obviously huge record. But now you see guys like, you know, my brother Jelly Roll, who was a rapper for years and now he's a superstar. You got you know, little Dirk Free him, but working with Morgan Wallend, Like, did

My my, my, My.

Label thought I was nuts because you got to understand, I'm coming off of Nellyville, right coming off of Nellyville and was a hard album.

You just got got into it with Caress one.

Come on, I'm coming off of Hot in Here, I'm coming off of Dilemma Air Force ones. And then I told my label, yeah, I want to do a song with Tim McGraw, I said, thinking about I got this idea.

They're like, uh, what you what?

I'm like, yeah, yeah, I want to do a song with Tim McGraw, and thankfully enough, the powers that be entrusted in me because they were like, yo, you know, I mean, shit, what are we gonna do?

Tell him? No, the guy ain't missed, you know what I'm saying. So, but again, I grew up in Saint Louis. I was Saint Louis raised me.

I'm a military baby, but I was born in Texas and the country is just it's just in the blood.

You know.

Yeah, I dope.

And my uncle, My uncle is somebody who put me on to songwriting period like Lino Richie and everything and showed me everything Lina Richie was writing. He was writing music for country pop, R and B and everything, so you know, Charlie Pride and Hank Williams, George Straight, all of that, and I was on all genres of music. So this was something that I was like, Yo, I love the stories. I love the stories and the sincerity

He he believed.

In me and gave me a shot and we were able to put together something like you said that came out in two thousand and four. Yeah, like two thousand and four and now yeah that was on the Yeah on Swiss Fuit and people, you know, they thought I was crazy until it hit and then they was like, holy shit, Yo.

I remember the line the only only dudes moving units is the pimp juice in us? Did you and Eminem have any because at there was a certain point in time where it's communication you and but you and Eminem were like the like biggest selling artists in the world, very different obviously, but like, did you guys ever have any sort of conversation then?

Or this was the thing.

I misinterpreted something when I was really really new, and you know, I wanted to apologize to m you know what I mean. But I was at a time where you know, I'm coming in, I'm the new guy. Anybody talking you know from.

What what was it that you missed that you misunderstood?

Well, somehow I misinterpreted that he had something to say about.

What we were doing.

What we were.

Doing, And when I went on MTV, I made some comments because you know, I'm I'm still fresh from what from the loop, I'm I'm ready, it's up like where you at. But that wasn't the case. Man and him is he's gold Man, you know what I'm saying. And he's so dope. And when that was going on, I forgot who. We was in Detroit and we were at the after party and somebody came and was like, yo, him, want to come through and holler and I'm like, okay, you know. And when he came in and he's such

She was young. They probably love your every day, That's what he was like. He was like, yo, man, my daughter. I was like, I felt like a dick. You know what I'm saying. Like I felt it's just like yo, I felt like a dick.

Man.

And because we were we were Imminem fans, you know what I'm saying, we was and just miscommunication. Man and him is, he's he's a dope cat. Man, He's a He's a dope cat. And I'm glad. I'm glad we got that out the way because.

You know, I mean, it was like it was a sales rivalry here.

Yeah, but it's fucked up when you people that you fuck with and that you admire on a on a level and you know what I'm saying, And it's like, yo, dude spits, you know. And I appreciate all factors of hip hop. I appreciate the battle rap because Saint Louis is huge for battle rap.

Shout out the hit man, holler herb. You know what I'm saying.

A lot of the battle rappers that come about it there, and you know, we appreciate that side. And we we got hit makers as well and things like that. So yeah, man, yeah, I'm glad we squashed that man because m was well, EM's a cat.

He's one of them guys.

Yeah, what what obviously you you you're running crazy on the road up.

I know you're going to Australia tonight.

Yeah, Australia later tonight. Start this couple of shows to come back and kick off the What a Party Yet tour and just have some fun this summer. Man, Look, who is gonna be on the tour? Tour over here is a little bit like, here's a little bit different. Some of the people, you know, they couldn't get over there.

You know, Australia is a little different.

Yeah, you got this trip.

Yeah, so I think, well, I'm just taking my brothers over there, the Tics to Australia.

We haven't been over there in a minute.

But when we come back and we start over here, it's like myself, it's my brother joh is eve uh fab is on some ship shout out the fab fab.

Is one of the most underrated.

Oh my god, they were.

That's my brother too, man, he's ill uh Tics uh my my little brother.

Chingy And that's gonna be special stuff going around. Man. So we're just gonna have some fucking fun, know what I'm saying. The summer. I think we could use it.

Yo. Did you in jaw like once you went to shanty Like, did he say, Man, I'm glad, I'm glad, I'm.

Glad, I'm glad. Job always remained cool for sure.

Yeah, because even in the beginning, obviously, because we kind of came out similar.

For sure, one hundred time, so you.

Were a little bitfore in terms of like popping. But you know, Venni vetty Vicci was like two thousands, so around the same time. Yeah, yeah, I think I think he took off with Hollow Yeah.

I think that might have been ninety nine.

Yeah, because he got a he got a good hollow record. Yeah with Jay and X. But that's rule three three six is when things got different.

Yeah, yeah, I think, yeah, you know my brother, I think my brother was hitting that ground out here, that Graham going and we talk about teasing about that.

You know, he started implementing the melodies. Yo, he hurt country grammar and he was like melodies a little more. You know what I'm saying, Like.

I will give it to him, my brother, my cat, he found it. You know, it's about finding your niche. And when he found that note that that that that him because job job makes records. He knows he's got the implement of making records.

Man. And my cat like he gets down, he gets down. Yeah.

Like I said, dude, I think like when we think of the Drakes and all these guys who are singing, I'm like, yo, this is all like Nelly derived Obviously you were influenced by a goodie mob and all that, but I'm like, man like, yo, like you made it cool to make songs, like to sing like it didn't always have, especially in that era that was that was you know when you turned on the radio back then, it was a lot different man obviously, DMX god Rest of Soul was.

DMX had a lot of melody. DMX was.

I remember seeing him in ninety eight in can Kun and I didn't know who he was. I had no idea and they were like everybody was going to this performance as.

New kid dm MAX and leather overalls on.

You know what I'm saying, The dog Chance, Yeah, I was like, damn in.

His stage presence was just all times ill man, all time man. And he made a hell of an impression.

So yeah, well listen man. Twenty five years of Country Grammar a classic album. Uh and it has stood the test of time. To thank you and uh so that means the Nellyville twenty five anniversaries a couple of years away.

Yeah that's crazy.

Yeah, definitely man this yeah yeah old one, no O two so yeah twenty yeah. Wait, number one was on the Training Day soundtrack too, right, what was it? One was on the Training Day soundtrack?

Great soundtrack, and then.

Yeah we added it to What's See.

We've been blessed man to be a part of a lot of great movements that bad boys.

Bad Boys too.

When Murph to help launch.

Murph and Free City and then School boy, Murphy's Law Murphy.

Yeah, listen, I just when I saw Murphy Lee backstage, Yeah there, no, I sold last night.

I had to grab him and be like.

I loved your album and Free City was my ship, dog Man, great album.

We knew Murphy was gonna be because he's just a hard worker, you know what I'm saying.

And we knew that he was, like, it's gonna be a fucking animal.

Are you working on new music right now? We all, I'm sure you guys all being together. Everyone's probably inspired.

Together, man, And the energy is good.

And we've got so many people who want to be a part of it. As far as like you know, producers, we've expired. You know Metros from.

The Louis He always got that cardinal.

He grew up on us, you know what I'm saying. He'll tell you it's just like so him and Chop Squad. Have you linked with Metro booming to work it all that? Well? No, just family man, like like that's my little bro. We talk. But it's there.

It is there.

It's not a situation where we're not. It's just about finding that opportunity. But above and beyond that, like you said in the Saint Louis. We truly all we got, So it's.

Not it's not like La. We don't have a breathroa of people who have been on that level like that.

I went to East Saint Louis. I was into Saint Louis once.

You must went to the strip club.

I went to Pink Cadillage.

The name pink Slip, Pink slip pink something. Yeah, that's ships crazy. I was in Louis.

I was like, it's different over here. Yeah, very yeah, yeah, people don't know. That's like over the state line in Illinois. Yeah.

Man, like East, we all party over in East. Great strip club though, Man, East St. Louis got the best clubs, always history, history, East St. Louis Is, you know. East St. Louis is the deal man. It's a very truthful place.

Man.

We love it. We grow up over there. As far as our party.

Yeah, well listen, man, you're a fucking living legend, a goat. Congrats on twenty five years, Congrats on the iHeart Award, and Mann, I'm just honored to be sitting here with you dog.

For my pleasure. Yes, thank you for the energy and the love.

Yes, Sir Nelly let's go. Yes, sir, can I get a radio drop from you?

Just say introduce yourself and say you're listening to the Bootleg cav Show.

Yep, chack chack check. Yo, y'all know what it is.

It's your man, Nelly I, and we're rolling out right here on the Bootleg calv Show.

Olah