Nelly

He has been in an on and off relationship with R&B singer, Ashanti

He has launched his own clothing brands, ‘Vokal’ and ‘Apple Bottoms’.

Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr., better known by his professional name Nelly, was born on November 2, 1974, in Austin, Texas, to Cornell Haynes Sr. and Rhonda Mack, where his father served in the armed forces.

After his parents got divorced when he was seven, he lived with his mother in St. Louis and later relocated to University City, Missouri during his teenage years.

In 1995, while he was still in high school, he became part of the hip hop group, ‘St. Lunatics’. The group became popular and their single, ‘Gimme What Ya Got’ was a smash hit.

On June 27, 2000 he came out with his debut album, titled ‘Country Grammar’, which was released by the Universal Records label. The album featured the hits, ‘Country Grammar’, ‘E.I’ and ‘Ride wit Me’.

In 2002, he released his second studio album, ‘Nellyville’, which was one of his most successful and acclaimed albums. The album topped the music charts and sold millions of copies all across the globe.

In 2004, his third studio album, ‘Sweat’ was released. The album received positive reviews from music critics and it peaked on the music charts, in U.S and internationally.

On September 13, 2004, he came out with his fourth studio album, ‘Suit’, which was a commercial success. The album featured the singles, ‘My Place’, ‘Over and Over’ and ‘N' Dey Say’.

In 2005, he played the role of ‘Earl Megget’ in the sports comedy film titled, ‘The Longest Yard’, which was directed by Peter Segal. The film was a success at the box office.

His 2002 album, ‘Nellyville’ peaked at the No.1 position on the US Billboard 200 chart and a whopping 714,000 copies of the album were sold within the first week of its release.

His hit single, ‘Just a Dream’, was one his most successful singles that peaked at the No.1 position on the U.S. Pop Songs chart. The song received a triple platinum certification.