Watch Nelly’s ‘Country Grammar’ 20th Anniversary Doc. | ‘Country Grammar Live’ Released
Today, Nelly dropped his new digital “Country Grammar Live” release via Republic/UMe.
Which was recorded live at the MelodyVR “Live From LA” studio last July in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Country Grammar. This is Nelly‘s first live release and features a live band which gives the album reinterpretation a distinct rock vibe, making Nelly a truly genre bending artist who has released a Country, Rap, R&B, and now a rock leaning album.
Recorded as part of MelodyVR‘s ongoing Live From LA series which was originally broadcast through the MelodyVR app for a limited time, the Hip-Hop icon took fans back to the summer of 2000 with this special performance which included mega hits such as “Ride With Me” and “E.I.”
Today also sees the premiere of the 20th anniversary mini-documentary Country Grammar – The Documentary (20th Anniversary), streaming now on Nelly’s YouTube channel. The mini-documentary features animated clips, new and old LIVE performance footage, and sees Nelly telling his story of the early beginnings as an artist with a unique style and sound, the creation of his Diamond-selling classic, Country Grammar, and how he put St. Louis on the hip-hop map.
UB spoke with Nelly in 2005 and asked him then, who inspires him musically? “Just life man. There is so much stuff I want to do.” Nelly went on to say; “I don’t want to be one of those that didn’t give my all. If I didn’t deal with every challenge thrown at me, I would be cheating myself. I would be cheating my fans, if I didn’t expand all of my talents.”
“Country Grammar” debuted at #3 on the Top 200 and soon vaulted to #1. In 2016, the RIAA certified the album Diamond, selling more than 10 million copies to date, a feat which placed Nelly in the pantheon of rock superstars such as Led Zeppelin, the Doors and Bruce Springsteen.
Country Grammar was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2000 Grammy Awards® (along with its title track for Best Rap Solo Performance) and Nelly was crowned Best New Artist at the 2001 BET Awards.
