Nelly’s Country Grammar Turns 20

Nelly, the St. Louis-bred hip-hop juggernaut revered for No. 1 hits like “Grillz,” “Hot in Herre,” “Dilemma,” and “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” will re-release his stone-classic debut album Country Grammar on July 24 via Republic/UMe. Hailed upon release by Rolling Stone as “the best thing to come out of St. Louis since Redd Foxx,” by NME as the “album of the year so far,” and by People, who proclaimed that Nelly “marked his hometown of St. Louis as a major contender,” Country Grammar debuted at No. 3 on the Top 200 and soon vaulted to No. 1. In 2016, the RIAA certified the album Diamond, selling more than 10 million copies to date, a feat which placed Nelly among rock superstars like Led Zeppelin, the Doors and Bruce Springsteen.

As a creative heavyweight from St. Louis during a time when most rappers were from the East Coast, the West Coast, or the South, Nelly’s breezy, twangy approach proved to be a breath of fresh air for the genre. When his debut single “Country Grammar (Hot Shit),” which was hung on the children’s clapping game “Down Down Baby,” was released in February 2000, became a smash hit and peaked at No. 7 on the Hot 100, the foundation was laid for his blockbuster debut album to break into the mainstream.

The 20th anniversary edition of this landmark album will be released as a digital deluxe edition with bonus tracks “Icey,” “Come Over,” “Country Grammar (Instrumental),” and “Ride Wit Me (Instrumental),” all four of which have never been released digitally before. Whether revisited digitally or on wax, Country Grammar’s beloved hits, like “Ride Wit Me” (No. 3) and the airwaves-conquering title track have dominated global culture for two decades. The album was produced by Jason “Jay E” Epperson, who himself did a tremendous amount to craft the sound of 2000s Midwestern hip-hop.

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