Nelly Sounds Off on New Album, Ashanti, & Flo Rida on 'The Breakfast Club'
Nelly has had a busy week. Following his appearances on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” the St. Louis rapper visited “The Breakfast Club” on Power 105.1 to promote his Chris Brown-assisted single “Marry Go Round” and upcoming CW show “The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep.”
He spoke candidly about the ups and downs of his 13-year career, addressed a rumored beef with Flo Rida (“There’s enough room for everybody”), and dished details about his upcoming seventh album M.O., which will arrive in the fall. In addition, Angela Yee grilled the hitmaker on his relationship with Ashanti (“Me and baby girl, we’re real cool”).
Find out what went down when Nelly was in the hot seat.
On his relevancy in hip-hop: “I’ve only had one record I didn’t have a number one record on. The last record I put out, I had a number one record. I sold five million records, put out six singles… I think everybody in the entertainment industry feels the effects when the economy do what it do.”
On the changing music industry: “It’s definitely a young man’s game and it’s about veteran’s survival. You get to a point where it’s just about turning pages. When you old, not as in age, but old as in you been in the game for a minute, like 12-plus years, it’s been a long time.”
On the pressure of staying on top: “Nothing continuously excels. It’s called a career for a reason. You got your ups, you got your downs. But as long as you’re around, that’s the thing.”
On rumors that Flo Rida’s “Get Low” single was for him: “No, it wasn’t my song. I never actually heard the song. This is the thing because people always try to do that. I got no issues with Flo, the business is what the business is. [But] dude acknowledges that he f**ks with Nelly.”
On Flo Rida copying his style: “How do you look at that in a negative manner? You had an effect on someone that was able to come in and make a mark in music. It’s all good. I don’t see it as there not being enough room for everybody. Like I said, I’m working on 13 years, you know it’s a beautiful thing.”
On his relationship with Ashanti: “I always comment on what I’m doing, now when you comment on who I’m dating and all that, that’s something that seems to be more important to everybody else than to me. So I know who I’m dating, I know what’s going on. Me and baby girl, we’re real cool. I don’t think anything’s going to change until me and her decide that we want to change it. But everyone thinks that it’s my decision that we say what we say. It’s a mutual respect, it’s a mutual decision that we made.”
On Ashanti “claiming” him: “Did she ever claim me? Where at? What show was that? Did she say something different on the radio? If it is, play it for me. Let me hear it.”
On his next album M.O.: “You try to give people what they come to love of you, but also try to reinvent yourself at the same time. So that’s the twist in survival in this music game. It’s full of energy. I definitely think people are going to be real surprised about the joint.”