Nelly "Nellyville" Album

	Title: Nellyville Format: Album Label: Universal Released: 2002-06-25
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Tracklisting & Lyrics

Reviews

Nelly's debut album, , was a left-field surprise smash hit, racking up a number of hits and turning the Midwestern pop-rapper into an overnight superstar. It's perhaps little surprise then that his follow-up, , sticks to the script. Like , it's produced almost entirely by newcomer Jason "Jay E" Epperson, and it too relies on catchy, singalong hooks that are more pop than rap. Moreover, there are some clear, clever rewrites here, with "Pimp Juice" in particular relying on the same slow-grooving rhythm that made " " and "E.I." such jams two summers earlier. Nelly also retains his tough-guy posturing here -- he's no gangsta, nor is he an outright thug, but he is awfully damn cocky and a lot gruffer than your typical teen pop star. All of this makes just as good as its predecessor. What makes it two or three notches better, however, are the few occasions where Nelly tries something new -- namely on "Hot in Herre," "Dilemma," and "Rock the Mic," three well-calculated, standout moments. The first is a trademark Neptunes production with an infectious hook, tailor-made for radio and club play; the second is a straight, saccharine interpolation of Patti LaBelle's 1983 hit "Love, Need and Want You" that features a duet with Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland, and is as likely to appeal to those who are old enough to know the original as those who are too young to realize how much of a straight cover this is; and the third is a remix of Beanie Sigel and Freeway's previously released hit for Roc-a-Fell, and is one of the only pure hip-hop moments here, and a welcome one at that. All of this amounts to a sure-fire pop-rap album that should not only please anyone who enjoyed , it should attract yet more fans who will be drawn in by the few aforementioned standout moments of pop calculation. And that's not even mentioning the Justin Timberlake feature, which should be a draw in itself for many teen pop fans. ~Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide.

When your debut album scans 8x platinum, why mess with the formula? That's what Nelly must have been thinking on Nellyville, as he virtually carbon-copies the Country Grammar template on his follow-up. This time around, though, unusually large chunks of his rhyme schemes are fixated on tales of his rise from rags-to-bitches. On tracks like "Work It" (which sadly features Justin Timberlake of toy band 'N Sync) and the title track, hip-hop's materialistic excess hits a fever pitch. Still, "bling, bling" never sounded so good over St. Lunatics in-house producer Jay E's beats. Nelly takes his down-home St. Louis rap cadence to, er, identical heights on "Country Grammar II," one of the many similar-sounding sequels to original chart blazers "Country Grammar" and "E.I." The anthemic "Hot in Herre," whose hook implores hotties to get undressed over a poppy Neptunes beat, is the 2002 version of "Ride wit Me." Nelly even pulls a Q-Tip routine, mutating his already singsong delivery into full-on balladeering on "The Gank" and "Pimp Juice," with mixed results. KRS-One has called for a boycott of this album because he's decided Nelly has no respect for hip-hop elders, and, well, maybe he's right. But that won't stop this St. Lunatic from taking his fresh approach to commercial hip-hop to the nearest Chase Manhattan. ~Dalton Higgins, Amazon.com.

After a very successfull debut with Country Grammar, the man from St. Louis returns with his second album, Nellyville. With two singles already major hits ("Hot In Herre" and "#1"), Nellyville is well on its way to joining Country Grammar's success.
Nelly isn't afraid to flash the bling bling, rock the ice, and all that jazz that Country Grammar brought him. Unfortunately, this is what almost every other hip-pop album is centered on, and it's old hash. Luckily for Nelly, he does it with a unique flair. "Air Force Ones" is entirely devoted to his fascination with shoes, but is catchy enough to maintain interest. "Splurge" illustrates Nelly is "feeling good about himself so I, splurge a little" and that "it's about time."
"Pimp Juice" lays it out in a fittingly funky groove, spouting off about Nelly's sexual prowress. He comes correct when he pays homage to the females, citing "Bitches got the pimp juice too, come to think about it they got more than we do. They got, more juice in they talk, more juice in they walk...".
Nelly features pop superstar Justin Timberlake on "Work It," which marks the second time N'Sync and Nelly have collaborated (Nelly appeared on a remix of N'Sync's "Girlfriend"), yielding the same pop sound both times. Nellyville also includes a remix of "Roc the Mic," which is even better this time around, featuring Freeway, Beanie Sigel, and Murphy Lee.
Materialism aside, Nellyville offers a different perspective on Nelly and his status in hip-pop. Even though it is a melting pot of pop and hip-hop, Nelly keeps it 'street' enough with slick lyrics and beats that will make you nod your head and turn up the volume. ~Tom Reiter, music-critic.com.