“People don’t understand when I say I had no co-signers,” Nelly tells ESSENCE. “There was no one to back Nelly. There was no one to stand up for Nelly. People showed me love but there was no one to stand up for me. There was no one solidified to say, ‘Yo, he’s good.’ You can’t name me nobody that’s successful in my era or in what I do that didn’t have a co-signer. Everybody had a co-signer, but Nelly. Everybody!”
Referencing peers like Ja Rule and Kanye West who were affiliated with Roc-a-fella records early in their careers, Nelly adds, “I came out with a new sound from a new place, a new face and we literally had to work to accomplish and to be here the way that we are.” Pausing to reflect on that success, he adds, “You’re grateful.”
Beyond setting records and being recognized by the entertainment industry, Nelly also sees the fruits of his labor in the wave of new artists on the music scene. “The whole radio almost sounds like Nelly at this point,” he says. “Not saying that these brothers and sisters aren’t putting their own type of thing on it, of course they are, just like I had influences with my style.”
In contrast to common criticisms of artists biting other entertainers’ style, Nelly is happy to hear remnants of his sound in rap today. “I think that’s a blessing. That shows your impact. That’s what you want as an artist, to inspire.”
Black Entertainers Took Over Atlanta For The BET Hip Hop Awards
Referencing peers like Ja Rule and Kanye West who were affiliated with Roc-a-fella records early in their careers, Nelly adds, “I came out with a new sound from a new place, a new face and we literally had to work to accomplish and to be here the way that we are.” Pausing to reflect on that success, he adds, “You’re grateful.”
Beyond setting records and being recognized by the entertainment industry, Nelly also sees the fruits of his labor in the wave of new artists on the music scene. “The whole radio almost sounds like Nelly at this point,” he says. “Not saying that these brothers and sisters aren’t putting their own type of thing on it, of course they are, just like I had influences with my style.”
In contrast to common criticisms of artists biting other entertainers’ style, Nelly is happy to hear remnants of his sound in rap today. “I think that’s a blessing. That shows your impact. That’s what you want as an artist, to inspire.”
Black Entertainers Took Over Atlanta For The BET Hip Hop Awards
