Nelly will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, at the State Fair with special guest Trea Landon.
Diamond-selling, multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning rap superstar, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and actor, Nelly stepped on the scene in 2000 with his distinctive vocals and larger-than-life personality.
His collaboration with Florida Georgia Line received diamond status, and he is one of only seven rappers to reach this honor.
He was the first artist to play in Saudi Arabia with a mixed-gender/family crowd. He is the first hip hop artist to play with multiple symphonies nationwide and played himself in BET’s “Real Husbands of Hollywood” with Kevin Hart. His sports knowledge and love of all sports secured him a gig as a sportscaster with Skip Bayless.
Nelly embarked on his music career with Midwest hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999.
Nelly entered the spotlight with the release of “Country Grammar” in 2000, spending seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and spawning the massive hits “Ride Wit Me,” “Country Grammar,” and “E.I.” The album landed Nelly four Grammy Award nominations and sold over nine million copies worldwide.
“Country Grammar” has sold over 8.4 million copies in the United States.
Nelly kept the momentum going
with the 2002 release of “Nellyville.” The album debuted at #1 on top of scoring Nelly his first two Grammy Awards for “Hot in Here” – Best Male Rap Solo Performance – and “Dilemma” featuring Kelly Rowland – Best Rap Song Collaboration. This album was certified 6x multi-platinum by the RIAA on June 27, 2003.
He has since gone on to win multiple American Music Awards, a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award, Soul Train Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and was crowned “Top Pop, Rap, and R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of The Year” by Billboard.
He has been referred to by Peter Shapiro as “one of the biggest stars of the new millennium,” and the RIAA ranks Nelly as the fourth best-selling rap artist in American music history, with over 21 million albums sold in the United States. On Dec. 11, 2009, Billboard ranked Nelly the number three Top Artist of the Decade.
ETIX is the official ticket seller for the State Fair of West Virginia. Tickets purchased from any other source are not guaranteed to be valid. Tickets are available online, by phone 1-800-514-ETIX (3849), or in person at the State Fair of West Virginia Box Office.
