Country Grammar

“Country Grammar” is the debut studio album by Nelly, released on June 27, 2000, through Fo’ Reel and Universal Records.

The story

Nelly came up in St. Louis and University City as a member of the St. Lunatics, a crew of childhood friends whose 1996 single “Gimme What U Got” had built a local following. Universal signed him as a solo artist in 1999, and St. Lunatics members appear throughout the record. City Spud, Nelly’s half-brother, is featured on “Ride wit Me”, though he was incarcerated when its video was filmed. At the time, St. Louis had no national rap presence, and the album’s regional slang and accent were presented as a selling point rather than something to smooth over.

Sound and production

Most of the album was produced by Jason “Jay E” Epperson, whose sparse, rubbery tracks left room for Nelly’s sing-song cadence. Critics singled out that “smooth, slippery-fast” delivery and the “appealingly minimalist” beats. The title track, “Country Grammar (Hot S***)”, is built on the playground chant “Down Down Baby”, and “Ride wit Me” draws on DeBarge’s 1982 song “I Like It”, which led to writing credits for members of DeBarge. The album also uses material by One Way and Tony! Toni! Toné!.

Legacy

The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 235,000 copies sold, then reached No. 1 the following week and held the position for five consecutive weeks. Four singles charted: “Country Grammar (Hot S***)” reached No. 7 on the Hot 100, “E.I.” reached No. 16, and “Ride wit Me” reached No. 3 and was certified five times platinum, with “Batter Up” charting more modestly. The “Ride wit Me” video won Best Rap Video at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, and NME’s Steve Sutherland named the record his album of the year. The RIAA certified “Country Grammar” diamond, for ten million units, in 2016, making it one of the highest-certified rap albums in the United States. It established Nelly as a national star and preceded major-label releases for the St. Lunatics, Chingy and J-Kwon.

Released June 27, 2000. More from hip hop in 2000.