July 5, 2000 – Seemingly from nowhere, St. Louis-based rapper Nelly has risen to the top of the charts with his top-selling debut album, Country Grammar. According to SoundScan, Nelly's pop-friendly album sold an astonishing 252,319 units its first week in stores, beating out highly-anticipated albums from Lil' Kim and Kelly Price. On the Top Current Album chart, Country Grammar ranks #3, just below Eminem and Britney Spears, and is #2 on the Current Rap & R&B charts – proving that Nelly's regional "slanguage" and sound holds strong national appeal.

Vibe magazine observes, "it's that endearing Midwestern dialect, the futuristic down-bottom bounce beat, and Nelly's singsong delivery (inspired by the likes of Al Green and Earth, Wind and Fire) that has literally made Country Grammar the hot [stuff] in hip-hop." Apparently fans couldn't agree more: Nelly's catchy first single "Country Grammar," remained #1 for four weeks in a row on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart; is a #1 hit at both Crossover and R&B radio formats; and is still heavily promoted at MTV, BET and THE BOX. In fact, consumer response to the single is so strong that it generated a solid buzz among retailers and the album shipped gold (retailers purchased over 500,000 units prior to the album release date – which is extremely impressive for a new artist).

While in high school, Cornell "Nelly" Haynes Jr. along with five friends, formed a rap group known as Nelly and The St. Lunatics. In 1996, the group released an independent single on vinyl, and the song was such a hit, that it sold over 7,000 units and was the #1 Most Requested Song on St. Louis' #1 hip-hop station – without major label support. Although Nelly is signed to Universal as a solo act, The St. Lunatics are still intact, and are also signed to Universal Records as a group. The St. Lunatics (including Nelly) have a featured track, "Summer in da City," on the forthcoming "The Original King of Comedy" soundtrack in stores August 22nd.

Nelly has received rave reviews in music publications including Vibe, the Source, XXL, Honey and more. He has also performed on MTV Jams and Soul Train. Stay tuned for upcoming performances on "The Cindy Margolis Show," "The WB Morning Show" and "Doug and Jimmy's Farmclub."