Grammy-winning rapper Nelly has addressed his 2008 Brass Knuckles not performing as well as past releases and why his early success has become a measuring tool used against him.
The St. Louis, Missouri emcee believes a four-year gap may have contributed to his last album’s overall sales decline.
“I think being gone for so long between albums – for about 4 years – and with the way music is changing drastically, I think sometimes you have to remind people of what it is that you do. Kids nowadays, their intentions spans are so short; it’s not like when I first came out and we would have ‘songs of the summer’ and a song that lasted all summer long. Now it’s like ‘song of the week’ or ‘song of the month’ and you move on to the next joint. Now it’s just a little different and I think that at that time it was just one of those albums that got lost in the transition but it’s a career; it’s not like some people are look at it like ‘it’s over.’ Out of 5 albums that dropped I only had one that didn’t sell over 4 million (giggles); every other record I did sold 4 million plus. I think it’s just one of those things where when you succeed so much people almost want to see not succeed on a high level or they expect you to; they stop looking at it as an accomplishment and start looking at it as a requirement.” (That Grape Juice)
In September 2008, Nelly’s album opened the charts within Top 5.
Making his return to store shelves after a four-year hiatus is Nelly with Brass Knuckles debuting at No. 3 selling a total of 83,715 albums. Following-up his platinum-selling albums Sweat and Suit, the St. Lunatic teamed up with a star-studded line-up including Akon, Jermaine Dupri, Fergie, T.I., LL Cool J, R.Kelly, Ciara, Rick Ross and more. (SOHH Sales Wrap)
According to reports, the album has yet to crack over 500,00 sold copies.
Brass Knuckles debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 selling 80,000 copies in its first week. After only a few months, it was certified Gold by the RIAA then it dropped off the Billboard 200, but in early March 21 2009 it re-appeared at 152. The album has sold over 200,000 copies in the United States. (Wikipedia)
His new album, 5.0, is reportedly set to drop this November.
Universal Motown will unveil the St. Louis rapper’s sixth studio album 5.0 on November 16. The club jam “Tippin’ in da Club,” produced by Dutch, sets the tone for the high-octane record. The song has already gone to urban radio, while the second single “Just a Dream” has been serviced to Top 40 stations. The latter was produced by Jim Jonsin and Rico Love. (Rap-Up)
Check out a recent Nelly interview down below: