In 2002, Nelly's second album Nellyville was released and reached number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart; its lead single "Hot in Herre" was also a number-one hit. Other singles included "Dilemma" featuring Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child, "Work It" featuring Justin Timberlake, "Air Force ... ( +view full text )
Nellyville -- Description:
In 2002, Nelly's second album Nellyville was released and reached number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart; its lead single "Hot in Herre" was also a number-one hit. Other singles included "Dilemma" featuring Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child, "Work It" featuring Justin Timberlake, "Air Force Ones" featuring Murphy Lee and the St. Lunatics, and "Pimp Juice". A music video of his titled "Tip Drill", which was distributed only on the Internet and underground rap video outlets, became a source of controversy due to perceptions of misogynistic depictions of women in the video. The controversy forced Nelly to cancel an appearance at a bone marrow drive in Spelman College, a historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia. Similar claims of misogyny also surrounded Nelly's single "Pimp Juice".
Nike and Nelly agreed on a one-year deal in 2003 to release a limited-edition sneaker called the "Air Derrty" which was a retro remake of Charles Barkley's signature sneaker the Nike Air Max2 CB '94 which was released in 2003 at select NIKE town stores in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as well the Squad 1 shoe store in St. Louis, Nelly's hometown. He later made a deal with Reebok, stating, "I¡¯ve always been into sneakers and throughout my career I¡¯ve always wanted to have a signature pair of sneakers that truly reflect my personal style. It made the most sense for me to partner with Reebok because they fully understand and respect the culture of sports, music and entertainment."
At the 2003 Grammys, he received two awards; one for Best Male Rap Solo Performance, and another shared with Kelly Rowland for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Additionally, Nelly won the 2003 American Music Award for "Fan's Choice" and received four other nominations. He won his third Grammy in 2004 for his and P. Diddy's guest vocals in Murphy Lee's number-one hit single "Shake Ya Tailfeather" from Lee's album Murphy's Law.
The Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign began in March 2003 by Nelly and his sister Jackie Donahue, after she was diagnosed with leukemia, in a search for donors. Donahue died in March 2005, almost exactly two years after the campaign began.