What makes it two or three notches better, however, are the few occasions where Nelly tries something new - namely on "Hot in Herre," "Dilemma," and "Rock the Mic," three well-calculated, standout moments.
All of this makes Nellyville just as good as its predecessor. Nelly also retains his tough-guy posturing here - he's no gangsta, nor is he an outright thug, but he is awfully damn cocky and a lot gruffer than your typical teen pop star. Moreover, there are some clear, clever rewrites here, with "Pimp Juice" in particular relying on the same slow-grooving rhythm that made "Country Grammar" and "E.I." such jams two summers earlier. Like Country Grammar, it's produced almost entirely by newcomer Jason "Jay E" Epperson, and it too relies on catchy, singalong hooks that are more pop than rap.
It's perhaps little surprise then that his follow-up, Nellyville, sticks to the script.
Nelly's debut album, Country Grammar, was a left-field surprise smash hit, racking up a number of hits and turning the Midwestern pop-rapper into an overnight superstar. It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but follow along as the top shotta breaks down why his pictures only tell half the story.Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs. As he reflected on his personal favorites, Mannion detailed stories involving everything from dropping his pants on the set (in the name of art) to spending precious time with fallen cultural icons.
We recently sat down with the legendary photographer, director, and designer to bring you the stories behind his most memorable album-cover shoots. For superstars like Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and countless others, Mannion’s vision, consistency, and ability to innovate has made him the go-to image-maker for the most important projects of their careers. Has any photographer in recent hip-hop history created more memorable images of the culture than Jonathan Mannion? Since he stepped onto the New York rap scene in 1993, the Cleveland native has produced iconic visuals that indelibly defined a generation of rap, R&B, and reggae artists.Īsk any 20-something kid who ever marveled at the cover of a hip-hop magazine or sat staring at their favorite rapper’s album cover, and it's likely they’ve seen most of their musical heroes through Mannion’s lens.
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