Nelly - Cornell Haynes (born November 2, 1974, Austin, Texas, USA) is an American rapper, actor and entrepreneur.
He began his career with the rap group St. Lunatics c 1996 and in 2000 signed with Universal Records, on which he released 7 studio albums and founded his own label Derrty.
Over the course of his career, Nelly has won numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards and nine Billboard Music Awards. In 2005, he starred in the movie remake of The Longest Yard, along with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. He has two clothing lines, Vokal and Apple Bottoms. Peter Shapiro called him "one of the biggest stars of the new millennium," and as of 2014, Nelly was the fourth best-selling rap artist in American music history, according to the RIAA, with 21 million albums sold in the United States. In December 2009, Billboard recognized Nelly as the third best artist of the decade (2000s).