Happy Birthday To Nelly

Nelly -- the entrepreneur, songwriter, actor, and one of the few hip hop artists with a rare RIAA diamond certified record to his name -- turns 42 today.

Born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., Nelly began his lengthy career in hip hop in 1993 as part of one of the biggest hip hop acts to come out of St. Louis, the St. Lunatics. While still an active member of the St. Lunatics, Nelly achieved mainstream success solo, most notably through his 2000 solo debut Country Grammar, which spawned the hit single "Ride Wit Me" and sold over ten million copies, earning the St.Louis rapper a rare RIAA diamond record. It's an honor that Nelly shares with a select few other hip hop artists, like Outkast, MC Hammer, Eminem, 2 Pac, and The Notorious B.I.G. Nelly's latest album, M.O., was released in 2013, and featured guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Pharrell, Future, TI, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, and more. 

Besides his music, Nelly is also known for his roles in movies like 2001's Snipes and Adam Sandler's 2005 football comedy, The Longest Yard. In 2014, Nelly and his family were featured in the BET reality series Nellyville. Nelly continues to act, and can currently be seen playing a fictionalized version of himself on Kevin Hart's parody series The Real Husbands of Hollywood, which is currently airing its fifth season on BET.

By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com