Nelly

Nelly first started rapping with his friends in the group the St. Lunatics. After many failed attempts by the group to make it, they realized that Nelly had a better chance getting signed as a solo artist and could then bring the St. Lunatics up with him. His rapid-fire cadence, soulful sound and energetic stage presence soon caught the attention of Universal Records, which immediately signed him.

Nelly's first solo album, 2000's Country Grammar was an immediate hit with its single "Country Grammar (Hot...)" propelling the album into a #3 debut on the Billboard 200. With the release of his second album, Nellyville, he became one of the best-selling rappers of the early-2000s and had sold 30 million albums leading into the release of his fifth studio release, September 2008's Brass Knuckles.MarketWatch: 3x Grammy Winner Nelly Hits Hard... (September 15, 2008)

• 2000: Country Grammar
• 2002: Nellyville
• 2004: Suit
• 2004: Sweat
• 2008: Brass Knuckles

Along with Robert L. Johnson and National Basketball Association legend Michael Jordan, Nelly is a part owner of the NBA expansion team the Charlotte Bobcats.

• November 2, 1974: Born in Austin, Texas

• June 27, 2000: Debut album, Country Grammar, released

• June 25, 2002: Nellyville debuts at #1 on the Billboard charts

• November 2002: MTV refuses to air "Air Force Ones" video due to Nike product placement

• March 24, 2005: Sister Jacqueline dies of complications from leukemia

• May 27, 2005: Co-stars in Adam Sandler's remake of The Longest Yard