Nelly Sets Record Straight On Upcoming ‘Country’ EP
Nelly surprised fans when his manager revealed that he was working on a country music EP. However, the rapper says the news was misconstrued and has now set the record straight.
“It got kinda twisted. It’s not actually country, so to speak,” he explained to Rolling Stone. “I love country music. I respect country music so much that I would never think that I can sit down and just as easy do a country album. That’s not it. That’s just like some country artist saying, ‘Hell, I’m just gonna do a rap album.’ What I will say is that, I’m tryna come up with an idea of doing an EP that crosses all boundaries, all genres and it may feature different country artists. But if you look at country music now it’s broadened up so much.”
The Missouri native says his plan was to release music that would appeal to a mass audience and not be labeled under one specific genre. “That is something I kinda kicked around as far as the EP, kinda coming up with different songs and different music in a field that I think may appeal to more of a pop-country, pop-R&B, hip-hop, country hip-hop [laughs] type of vibe. But never a ‘country album,’ not like that. I respect country music to the utmost, I never think it’s just that easy. Never.”
And as for the country song that inspires him the most? “Cruise!” he told the publication, laughing. “That touches me like nothing else, man. That touches me so deep, it even touches me in my pockets, baby!”
But in all seriousness… “But you know, I mean, it’s the obvious [ones]. ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ it’s just like, how could you go wrong? And obviously ‘The Gambler.’ My father loved ‘The Gambler,’ he liked old Kenny Rogers. Everything him and Mrs. Dolly Parton were able to do, you know in those days. I mean it’s not like country music was my influence . . . but it gave me an appreciation for it.”
No word on when Nelly’s new music will be released.
