| Country Grammar | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 27, 2000 (2000-6-27) | |||
| Recorded | 1999–2000 | |||
| Studio | Unique Recording Studios, New York City[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 66:35 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Nelly chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Country Grammar | ||||
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Country Grammar is the debutstudio album by American rapper and singerNelly. It was released on June 27, 2000, byUniversal Records. Theproduction on the album was handled byJason "Jay E" Epperson, with additional production by C-Love, Kevin Law, City Spud,Steve "Blast" Wills and Basement Beats. Nelly contributed to all lyrics on the album, with Epperson and City Spud also contributing. With the album's release, Nelly and his "St. Lunatics" crew cemented theSt. Louis sound firmly amongst othersouthern hip hop artists in the year 2000, such asJuvenile,Trina,Ludacris,OutKast,Three 6 Mafia andUGK.Country Grammar also introduced the world to Nelly's unique musical style ofpop-rap and radio "singalongs" with aMissouritwang. It was supported by four successfulsingles: "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)", "E.I.", "Ride wit Me" and "Batter Up". Its lead single, "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)", peaked at number 7 on theBillboard Hot 100 andUK Singles Chart. Its second single "E.I." peaked at number 16 on the Hot 100, number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on theARIA Singles Chart. "Ride wit Me" peaked within the top five on the Hot 100, ARIA Singles Chart,Irish Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart. The album's fourth and final single, "Batter Up" featuringSt. Lunatics membersMurphy Lee and Ali, achieved moderate chart success.
Country Grammar received positive reviews, with critics praising Nelly's vocal style and the album's production. It topped the USBillboard 200 chart for five consecutive weeks, and the USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for six consecutive weeks. It peaked in the top five on theNew Zealand Albums Chart andAustralian Albums Chart, as well as the top ten on theCanadian Albums Chart andDutch Albums Chart. The album was certified three times platinum by theRecording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) andMusic Canada (MC). The former denoted shipments of 45,000 copies while the latter denoted 300,000 copies.
In 2016,Country Grammar became the ninth hip hop album to be certifiedDiamond by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipment of 10 million copies in the US. Its commercial success secured Nelly's status as one of the most successful hip hop acts of the 2000s decade. OnBillboard's decade-end chart, Nelly ranked as the third most successful act of the 2000s decade, due largely to the success ofCountry Grammar and his follow-up albumNellyville (2002).
In his early years, Nelly frequently moved locations around the United States, before residing in thecity ofSt. Louis, Missouri.[2] It was there where he discovered rap artists synonymous inside the city. In his teenage years, Nelly moved toUniversity City, a suburb of St. Louis, where he shifted his aspirations from becoming a baseball player to producing stories and rhymes.[2] Along with some friends fromhigh school: Ali Jones,Torhi "Murphy Lee" Harper, Kyjuan andLavell "City Spud" Webb, Nelly formed the groupSt. Lunatics in 1993.[2] Frustrated by the lack of attention from record companies, the group formed the consensus to allow Nelly to pursue a solo career, while Ali and Murphy Lee released their own solo albums.[2] Nelly produced demos, which were sent to national labels, eventually gaining attention fromUniversal Records who signed a record deal with Nelly and the St. Lunatics in 1999, with Universal releasing the former's debut album,Country Grammar, in 2000.[2][3] All songs onCountry Grammar wererecorded by Steve Eigner, andmixed by Rich Travali. Kenny Dykstra provided recording assistance and Jason Standard assisted in mixing.[4]Mastering was performed by Herb Powers, withA&R directed by Kevin Law and Coordinated by Craig Yoskowitz.[4] Management was provided by Tony Davis and Courtney Benson, with legality handled by Todd Rubenstein. Creative direction was handled by Sandra Brummels, with design done by BENTO Design and photography done by Jonathen Mannion.[4]
Much of Nelly's rap style draws from his origins, as it containsSouthern drawl with Midwestern,[5]Missouri twang,[6] that incorporates bothcountry and urban styles.[5] In conjunction, Nelly approaches apop-rap singalong vocal style, whichAllMusic's Jason Birchmeier notes present withinCountry Grammar's tracks including "Ride wit Me" and "E.I.".[7]Peter Shapiro described Nelly's singing and rapping as using "unforgettablehooks based on schoolyard songs, double-dutch chants, and nonsense rhymes".[6] Much ofCountry Grammar's tracks are bass-heavy,[8][9] that are primarily Southern hip-hop based and minimalistic.[10] In the album's self-titled track, Nelly's vocals are slurred and slow,[11] and are a "smooth, slippery-fast instrument" with "reggae inflections".[8]Rolling Stone journalist Kris Ex found the song's lyrics to depict Nelly "riding around town in an expensive SUV with an assault weapon".[9] "Ride wit Me" is a rap and pop crossover[11] that samplesDeBarge's 1982 song "I Like It",[4] and its lyrics feature Nelly introspecting.[8] Ex found the chorus of "E.I." to contain the vocal style of rapperThe Notorious B.I.G.[9] "Luven Me" samples "Don't Stop (Ever Loving Me)" byOne Way and "Whatever You Want" byTony! Toni! Toné!.[4] Steve Sutherland ofNME interpreted "Luven Me" as a "virtual rewrite" of rapperTupac Shakur's 1995 "Dear Mama".[11]
"Country Grammar" was released as the album's first single on February 29, 2000, in the US.[12] The song was written by Nelly andJason "Jay E" Epperson, and produced by the latter.[4] Its lyrics are based on the childrenclapping gameDown Down Baby. "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)" peaked at number seven on the USBillboard Hot 100 and theUK Singles Chart.[13][14] It also reached number ten on theCanadian Hot 100 and twenty onARIA Singles Chart.[15][16] The song was certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) andAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[17][18] The second single, "E.I.", was written by Nelly and Epperson and produced by the latter.[4] It reached number sixteen on the Hot 100,[14] number eleven on the UK Singles Chart and number twelve on the ARIA Singles Chart.[13][19] It was certified gold by the ARIA.[18]
Written by Nelly and Epperson and produced by the latter, "Ride wit Me" was released asCountry Grammar's third single. The track featuresCity Spud, and reached number three on the Hot 100, the highest-charting song fromCountry Grammar in the US. It also peaked at number three on the UK Singles chart,[13] number four on the ARIA Singles Chart,[19]Irish Singles Chart,[19] number five on theDutch Singles Chart and number seven on theNorwegian Singles Chart.[19] It was certified gold by the RIAA and platinum by the ARIA.[17][18] "Batter Up" was released as the fourth and final single from the album. It featuresMurphy Lee andAli, and was written by Nelly, Epperson andSteve "Blast" Wills, while being produced by Wills. "Batter Up" peaked at number eight on theBelgian Singles Chart (Flanders) and number nineteen on the ARIA Singles Chart.[19]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[8] |
| Los Angeles Times | [20] |
| NME | 9/10[11] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10[21] |
| Q | [22] |
| Rolling Stone |  [9] |
| The Source | [23] |
| Spin | 6/10[24] |
| The Village Voice | B+[25] |
Country Grammar received acclaim bymusic critics. Steve Sutherland lauded the album in his review forNME, praising Nelly's utilization of vocal characteristics from otherrap artists, includingTupac Shakur andCypress Hill.[11] Sutherland described the album as a "rarity", noting stand-out tracks such as the "seductiverap/pop crossover" "Ride wit Me", while likening "Batter Up" to "DMX with a humour infusion".[11] He closed his review declaringCountry Grammar as "album of the year".[11] While writing thatCountry Grammar demonstrates that "tiresome rap topics" are not restricted to "the coasts",Entertainment Weekly'sDavid Browne highlighted Nelly's "smooth, slippery-fast" voice, as well as the album's "appealingly minimalist tracks" and "introspective moments" such as "Ride wit Me".[8]
InThe Village Voice,Robert Christgau wrote that Nelly presents an "easy mix of N.O. Bounce, Cleveland thug harmony, and L.A. tweedle-twaddle", finding that Nelly's heavy accent makes hishedonism more accessible.[25]People noted that Nelly implements his own "laid-back charm" toCountry Grammar'ssouthern hip hop, and that while he shows "limited thematic vocabulary", he articulatesescapism to compensate for this.[10]AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier praised the album's "tongue-twisting" self-titled track as "infectious", noting other tracks to contain the same elements, including "Ride wit Me" and "E.I.".[7] Birchmeier wrote that the album transcends regional styles such as southern hip hop to appeal to rap-pop audiences, while praising producerJason "Jay E" Epperson's contribution to the album.[7]
ReviewingCountry Grammar forRolling Stone, Kris Ex wrote that the album's "liquid bass bumps" interlope well with Nelly's "wordplay-heavy sing-song rhyme-flow", while declaringCountry Grammar to be "the best thing to come out ofSt. Louis" sincecomedianRedd Foxx.[9] At the2001 Soul Train Music Awards,Country Grammar earned Nelly the award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.[26] Nelly was nominated for four awards at the Online Hip-Hop Awards, for Favorite Music Video, Song of the Year (both for "E.I."), Album of the Year (forCountry Grammar) and Outstanding Graphic Design for his official website.[27] He won the awards for Song of the Year and Artist of the Year.[28]
Country Grammar entered theBillboard 200 on the week of July 15, 2000, at number 3, selling 235,000 copies.[29][30] The album remained within the top 10 for several weeks before topping it on the week of August 17, 2000, selling 235,000 copies and passing 1.5 million in sales that week.[31][32]Entertainment Weekly put the album's sales down to its support by its lead single, "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)", as well as the lack of releases from other music artists during that period.[31] The album sold 235,000 copies again the following week, continuing to stay atop theBillboard 200.[33]Country Grammar topped US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for six consecutive weeks.[34] On October 30, 2000, the album had sold three million copies, and was certified three-times platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of three million copies.[35] On June 29, 2002,Country Grammar had sold 7.7 million copies, according toNielsen SoundScan.[36] On July 21, 2016, the album was certified Diamond by the RIAA, denoting shipment of ten million copies in the US.[37]
Country Grammar entered theNew Zealand Albums Chart on the week of September 24, 2000, at number 5.[38] It reached its peak at number 3, for twenty-eight weeks after its debut on the chart, where it remained there for two non-consecutive weeks.[38] It stayed on the chart for forty-two weeks before dropping out.[38] The album was certified Triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for shipments of 45,000 units. On theAustralian Albums Chart,Country Grammar debuted at number 45.[39] It re-entered the chart five times, and reached its peak at number 4 on the week of October 7, 2001.[39] The album remained on the chart for thirty-three weeks, and was certified Triple platinum by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[39]Country Grammar reached at number 7 on theCanadian Albums Chart, and stayed on the chart for twenty-five weeks before dropping out.[40] It was certified Triple Platinum byMusic Canada (MC), denoting shipments of 300,000 copies. On theDutch Albums Chart, the album peaked at number 8.[41]
On theUK Albums Chart,Country Grammar reached at number 14, and stayed on it for 31 weeks.[42] It was certified Gold by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI), for shipments of 100,000 units. The album peaked within the top thirty on theBelgian Albums Chart (Flanders),Finnish Albums Chart andDanish Albums Chart.[41] It reached number 45 on theGerman Albums Chart, remaining on it for 43 weeks. It peaked on theSwiss Albums Chart andFrench Albums Chart at numbers 90 and 109 respectively.[41]Country Grammar topped the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end chart in 2000.[43]
According toBillboard, as of 2022,Country Grammar is one of the 15 best-performing 21st-century albums without any of its singles being number-one hits on theBillboard Hot 100.[44]Country Grammar's success cemented Nelly's position as one of the most successful hip hop acts of the emerging decade.[45][35][36]Vibe emphasized Nelly's expeditious fame, writing that the rapper debuted without the benefit of "guest spots orPen and Pixel produced teasers on his CD cover".[3] The magazine continued to note the rapper's absence of being associated with a notable group, "he just came out and sold two million records in less than a month".[3] Nelly's success helped in makingSt. Louis more notable for emerging hip hop acts, increasing the city's general reputation.[3][35]Country Grammar experienced commercial success, topping the USBillboard 200 chart for five weeks in 2000, eventually going on to sell over 9 million copies in the US, making it the ninth best-selling rap album of all time in the country.[46] It is one of the highest certified albums in the US history, being certified ten times platinum[47] by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Nelly ranked third on theBillboard 2000–2009 decade-end chart, due to the success ofCountry Grammar as well as his follow-up albumNellyville (2002).[48] The latter album went on to sell 6,488,000 copies in the US.[49]
Country Grammar was ranked as the 85th best album of all time on theBillboard Top 200 Albums of All Time.[50]
All tracks are written by Nelly (Cornell Haynes, Jr.), additional writers listed below
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" (featuringCedric the Entertainer) | 1:21 | ||
| 2. | "St. Louie" | Jason Epperson | Jason "Jay E" Epperson | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Greed, Hate, Envy" | Lavell Webb | City Spud | 4:15 |
| 4. | "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)" (also known as "Country Grammar (Hot)") | Epperson | Epperson | 4:47 |
| 5. | "Steal the Show" (featuringSt. Lunatics) |
| Epperson | 5:27 |
| 6. | "Interlude" (featuring Cedric the Entertainer) | 0:33 | ||
| 7. | "Ride wit Me" (featuring City Spud) |
| Epperson | 4:51 |
| 8. | "E.I." | Epperson | Epperson | 4:45 |
| 9. | "Thicky Thick Girl" (featuringMurphy Lee and Ali) |
| City Spud | 4:34 |
| 10. | "For My" (featuringLil' Wayne) |
| Epperson | 4:08 |
| 11. | "Utha Side" | Epperson | Epperson | 4:33 |
| 12. | "Tho Dem Wrappas" | Epperson | Epperson | 4:09 |
| 13. | "Wrap Sumden" (featuring St. Lunatics) |
| Epperson | 4:16 |
| 14. | "Batter Up" (featuring Murphy Lee and Ali) |
| Steve "Blast" Wills | 5:27 |
| 15. | "Never Let 'Em C U Sweat" (featuring The Teamsters) |
| City Spud | 4:14 |
| 16. | "Luven Me" | Webb | City Spud | 4:07 |
| 17. | "Outro" (featuring Cedric the Entertainer) | 0:44 | ||
| Total length: | 66:35 | |||
Notes[4]
Credits adapted from liner notes.[4]
For the 20th anniversary of the album, Nelly performed the entire album live at MelodyVR. On February 19, 2021, the rapper released the albumCountry Grammar Live alongside a documentary film,Country Grammar – A St. Lunatics Story.[51]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[86] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[87] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
| Germany (BVMI)[88] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[89] | 3× Platinum | 45,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[90] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[91] | Diamond | 10,000,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Country | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | June 27, 2000 | CD | Universal | [92] |
| United States | [93] | |||
| United Kingdom | June 29, 2000 | [94] | ||
| Germany | September 25, 2000 | [95] |
| Studio albums andsingles |
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