Nelly
Brookfield Zoo, 8400 W 31st St, 60513 Brookfield Kort
lau. 25.07.2026 19:00
Nelly burst onto the scene in 2000 with his diamond-certified debut album Country Grammar, launching chart-topping hits like “Country Grammar” and “Ride wit Me.” The St. Louis superstar followed with Nellyville, featuring the No. 1 singles “Hot in Herre” and “Dilemma,” and went on to become one of the best-selling hip-hop artists of the 2000s. A three-time Grammy Award winner known for blending rap, R&B, and pop into an unmistakable crossover sound, Nelly continues to bring high-energy performances packed with era-defining hits.
See him live on Saturday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m., opening with DJ Trife, at Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
Ticket Prices: $70 Members / $80 General Audience
Flytjendur
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Nelly
Name at birth: Cornell Haynes, Jr. Nelly became a hip-hop and pop superstar after the success of his solo 2000 release, Country Grammar. The album spawned three big hits (including "Ride Wit Me") and three Grammy awards and Nelly became an MTV favorite, recognized by a stylish band-aid on one cheek in the memory of his good friend City Spud, who he collaborated with on "Ride Wit Me". His second effort, Nellyville, (2002) was equally successful. It included the hits "Dilemma" and "Hot in Herre" and was nominated for five Grammy awards, including Album of the Year. In 2004 Nelly released two albums at the same time, Sweat and Suit, and in September they briefly held the two top spots on the charts. Nelly has been equally active as a businessman; among other ventures, in 2003 he released his own energy drink called "Pimp Juice," and in 2004 he became a minority owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats basketball team. He is also the CEO of Derrty Entertainment, his own company formed in 2003. Extra credit: Nelly has been publicly coy about his year of birth, and does not list it in his official biography; however, in 2003 a story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported that he would celebrate his 25th birthday that year.