Nellyville

#1
by: tom reiter

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.