Although he released Country Grammar fifteen years ago, Nelly is now prepping the release of a proper country record. The rapper's new manager J. Erving of Atom Factory delivered the news earlier this week in an interview with Billboard, revealing the title to be Heartland.
"He's a free agent on the label side now and is working on a country-based Heartland EP, which should be really interesting," Erving said. "He may be one of the first hip-hop artists to jump into that space in an authentic way with Florida Georgia Line and Tim McGraw, so we think he has an opportunity to grow that base even more."
The St. Louis rapper first started experimenting with country music back in 2004, when he collaborated with Tim McGraw on "Over and Over," a hip-hip/country crossover hit. Nine years after that, he teamed up with Florida Georgia Line for a remix to their song "Cruise," which helped propel the song to become the top-selling digital country single of all time. The group then teamed up with Nelly again in 2013 for his last solo album M.O., which debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200.
Outside of music, Nelly has been in the news for a recent arrest for possession of guns and a range of drugs, including methamphetamine.
In a statement to TMZ, Nelly passed the blame onto the 15 to 20 people who may have had access to his tour bus before he boarded it, though at the end of the day he takes responsibility for allowing them access.
"I feel the need to take responsibility for my choices in needing to be more aware of all the people I associate with and allow onto my property," the rapper said. "While my instinct of course, is to be accessible to my friends, fans and acquaintances, the last thing I would want to do is compromise the respect and admiration of my friends, family and fans."
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