St. Lunatics

Origins

The St. Lunatics formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group brought together childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, Slo Down and City Spud (born Lavell Webb), Nelly’s half-brother. The members began recording together while still in high school. In 1996 they released their first single, “Gimme What U Got”, and in 1997 local DJ Kut on the Beat FM started playing it on St. Louis radio. The record built a local audience, but after high school most members were working day jobs in the service industry or attending college while the group looked for a label.

Breakthrough

The group’s path to a major label ran through Nelly. He signed a solo contract with Universal Records in 1999, and the other members appeared across his debut album, “Country Grammar”. City Spud was featured on the single “Ride wit Me”, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, although he did not appear in the video because he was incarcerated at the time. After the success of Nelly’s album, the St. Lunatics signed with Universal as a group in 2000.

Key records

The group’s debut album, “Free City”, was released on June 5, 2001, through Fo’ Reel and Universal. The title referred to City Spud, who was in prison during its making. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 196,000 copies sold in its first week, reached No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and was certified platinum by the RIAA a month after release. Its singles included “Summer in the City”, “Midwest Swing”, which reached No. 88 on the Hot 100 and No. 41 on the R&B chart, and “Batter Up” featuring Nelly, which was certified gold.

Later career and legacy

Several members released solo projects on the strength of the group’s run. Ali issued “Heavy Starch” in 2002, and Murphy Lee released “Murphy’s Law” in 2003 before starting his own label, UC ME Entertainment. Murphy Lee also appeared with Chingy on the official remix of J-Kwon’s “Tipsy”. A second group album, announced for 2009 under the title “City Free”, was never released. In 2024 several members filed a lawsuit against Nelly, which was dismissed in April 2025. The St. Lunatics remain the core crew behind the first wave of St. Louis rap to reach the national charts.