Nelly On 25 Years of 'Country Grammar,' Working With Bailey Zimmerman & More

Billboard

8 months ago

Nelly caught up with Billboard's Tetris Kelly at Stagecoach 2025.

Transcript

00:00Listen, it's not that often that you got to be at a country festival with Mr. Country

00:05Grammar himself.

00:06What's up, Nelly?

00:07It sounds fitting, though.

00:08It's fitting for you, bro.

00:09Hell yeah.

00:10I mean, this ain't new to you being at Stagecoach because, like, this is your world.

00:13Let's talk about, like, when I was listening to your, like, double-sided album.

00:16That was a country album back in the day.

00:18So why is this community, like, why does it fit for you?

00:21You know what?

00:22Ever since the beginning, you know, country music has damn show opened their arms and

00:27show me nothing but love.

00:29Ever since the beginning.

00:30Yeah.

00:31And then 2003 when I did the joint with Tim McGraw.

00:35Of course.

00:36I mean, you know, it's one of those things where I did not understand when I did Country

00:45Grammar the type of love I was receiving across music genres.

00:48I thought everybody was doing a rap festival on Tuesday and then a country festival on Wednesday.

00:54And you're like, this ain't normal.

00:55Yeah.

00:56And then I found out that I was receiving blessings.

00:59You know what I'm saying?

01:00And I was like, wow, this is dope.

01:01So I've always appreciated all of the love that came from any genre of music.

01:06But country music has always showed Nelly an unexplainable amount of love since day one.

01:12And I'm, you know, like I said again, man, we just happy to be here and have a little fun.

01:17Yeah.

01:18And I mean, talking about like your journey with country music, you're talking about Tim

01:21McGraw.

01:22I just saw you hanging with Bailey Zimmerman.

01:23Yeah.

01:24You just jumped on the track with Big X The Plug, which is like dope.

01:27So what did you talk to him about?

01:29No, Bailey, man.

01:30I actually, I've been out to his spot in the studio.

01:35You know, we hung out, did some music and things like that.

01:39Okay.

01:40So we're looking forward to definitely, you know, putting some stuff together, man.

01:44He's a good dude.

01:45He's a good dude.

01:46And I'm so happy for him because he's worked really hard to get to where he's at.

01:50And he's very, very talented.

01:51So hopefully the song that we are putting together is something that's different for

01:56both of us, but definitely worthy of our time.

02:01Yeah.

02:02I'm excited for it, man.

02:03Hell yeah.

02:0425 years of country grammar is crazy, by the way.

02:06Okay.

02:07But like, I've been with you through this journey.

02:08I saw you at the Super Bowl.

02:09I saw you at the iHeartRadio Awards.

02:10Like, how has it been to celebrate this album that meant so much to so many people?

02:13And I'm sure you.

02:14Yeah.

02:15You can't explain it.

02:16You're just thankful.

02:17You know, when you get to be an artist, you hopefully you do things that stand the test

02:22of time.

02:23You just want to do music that connect with people for however long.

02:28But to have an album that has, you know, been one of the biggest in hip hop and just

02:36in music in general, you're very thankful for that, man.

02:39And, you know, I'm always keep blessings.

02:42And then lastly, I mean, being at something like this in the climate that we're in, the

02:45energy that the world is politically.

02:47Yeah.

02:48But we're talking about music.

02:49How is it to like still give that energy and like in this?

02:51Listen, man, I wake up every day thankful.

02:53I don't know why.

02:54Don't nobody else.

02:55You see what I'm saying?

02:56Like, and they got to understand, like, we wake up.

03:00Everybody don't wake up every day.

03:02You know what I'm saying?

03:03So you should be thankful.

03:04I'm a glass half full type of guy.

03:06I'm not the glass half empty.

03:07And when you grow up the way that I grow up and you don't have the things that so many

03:12people have growing up, you learn to appreciate things that you do have when you get to a point

03:18that you understand you don't have to have those things.

03:21So I'm just thankful, man.

03:22And we celebrate it, man.

03:24So I look forward to it.

03:25I got a beautiful wife.

03:26I have beautiful children.

03:27I love it, man.

03:28You know what I'm saying?

03:29Like, why would Nelly be pissed?

03:31That's what I'm talking about, man.

03:32You know what I'm saying?

03:33Well, congratulations on all your success.

03:34I'm so excited to see you on stage tonight, man.

03:35Thank you so much, man.

03:36I appreciate that.

03:37Thank you for talking to us.

03:38I really appreciate it.

03:39Of course.

03:40Of course, my brother.

Nelly On 25 Years of 'Country Grammar,' Working With Bailey Zimmerman & More | Stagecoach 2025

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