Rapper Nelly moves forward in life by giving back

Ten years into a successful career, rapper Nelly is all about giving back to his hometown community and to the fans who helped make him famous. Since his debut album, "Country Grammar," in 2000, the 36-year-old hip-hop star has sold more than 20 million records, has had nearly a dozen Top 10 singles (including this year's "Just a Dream") and was rated the No. 3 artist of the decade by Billboard magazine behind Eminem and Usher. His sixth album, "5.0," debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart in late November.
The record, his first in two years, hasn't sold as well as some of his other discs, but that has been true of many artists recently as digital downloads weakened CD sales.

Nelly Calls Out Universal Motown For Poor Promotion Of "5.0"

Nelly says that Universal Motown didn't hold up their end of the bargain for promoting his new album, and a #1 single should equate to more than 63,000 units sold.

St. Louis, Missouri rapper Nelly released his sixth album 5.0 on December 16. With multi-platinum success in the past, Nelly garnered a Top 10 debut for his first album in over two years, behind the hit single, "Just A Dream." Selling approximately 64,000 first-week units, Nelly voiced his displeasure, and took longtime label Universal Motown to task.