Las Vegas Weekly

June 4, 2008 · 8:42 PM

Nelly bracing for hip-hopping Vegas celebrations

By Robin Leach

Nelly, livin' the tux life in Vegas.

Six-time Billboard Award-winner and superstar recording artist Nelly has a star-studded three-day weekend in store for some 100 lucky fans when he takes over the Red Rock Resort on Friday. The 11-time Grammy Award nominee already recruited producer pal Jermaine Dupri to play DJ for the affair and his friend, basketball star Allen Iverson will celebrate his birthday there as part of the wild weekend.

Its all part of a unique sneak peek (and listen) to his new Brass Knuckles album – his first full album of new songs in four years, to be released in August. The debut single “Party People,” co-starring Fergie, and produced by her with Ludacris and Usher, has already generated over 2 million YouTube streams showing imagery from the Moulin Rouge movie musical. His previous studio project, the unique 2004 double release Sweat and Suit albums, made him the first solo artistry in history to make simultaneous album chart entries at No. 1 and No. 2!

Other topnotch producers and recording artists who joined him for the new album include Pharrell, Akon, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Ciara, Babyface and Ashanti. Don’t be surprised if any of those artists also join in the weekend fun. That includes a VIP dinner Nelly will host, an evening of bowling inside Red Rock Lanes VIP bowling suite, an intimate live concert performance by Nelly inside the Rocks Lounge and an after-party at Cherry nightclub with Jermaine twisting the turntables for the Iverson birthday bash!

Nelly, now 34 years old, was born Cornell Hayes Jr. in Austin, Texas, but was raised in the St. Louis inner city. He starred in the remake of The Longest Yard with Chris Rock and Adam Sandler, and took a break from filming the season premiere of CSI: NY -- in which he plays a club owner under suspicion of murder-- for our exclusive Luxe Life interview:

Robin Leach: How different is this album from the past records?

N: With Country Grammar (2000) it was an introduction to me and where I was from and the type of music I would bring to the table, Nellyville was more evolved as in me standing on my own as far as showing everyone I wasn’t a one-hit wonder. Then with Sweat & Suit (2004) dropping two albums on the same day was totally different, I wanted to get both sides. People allow me to do both sides, they allowed me to do “Hot in Here,” “Grillz,” and “Air Force Ones.” They also supported me on “Over and Over’s” and “Dilemmas,” those types of songs, a little more melodic. This new album is more like me in a different place. I am a lot older. I think it is making sure people understand that St. Louis is my real home and background. This album is different for me because I got stuck in a place where people were used to the melodic and I got away from it with the up-tempo joints and I brought it back on this album. They now have a purpose.

RL: Is hip-hop is stronger than ever, or are there too many people in the business?

N: It depends on how you look at it. To say it is going down when it is the most popular music on the planet is ludicrous. To say that it is not important to music right now, that would be an asinine statement. I think every genre of music goes through a spurt where it looks worse than it really is. I think that happens. Like I said, again you have children 19-20 years old and they have been listening since they were born. It has a history; it is 35-plus years old, so kids may not listen to anything other than hip-hop. I think hip-hop is in a great place, I think some of these people may not understand it. Hip-hop was created by the kids, for the kids and now you have so many older people trying to control it.

RL: Is it still the poetry of the street?

N: It will always be that. It has different outlets now. There are many different versions of hip-hop now. It has crossed over into pop music. I did the collaboration with Tim McGraw so it’s been into country music. Where would we be without Run-DMC and Aerosmith? They were some of the first guys to take that chance and walk that line, they were criticized. You had hip-hop heads saying they sold out when they did that, they said they were making a mockery of that. Where would we be without “Walk This Way?”

RL: You are on the clean side of hip-hop?

N: I try to stay on the side that best suits me. I don’t know if that is the clean side, or bad side or what? I just do me. I have been through so much negativity growing up, so why would I continue that. If I am successful, why would I want to jeopardize that? I jeopardized everything trying to be successful, so if I achieved success why would I continue to jeopardize that?

RL: So you can use hip-hop to lift people up rather than bring people down and have others complaining about the offensive lyrics.

N: That is the key. I you look at hip-hop, it has to be the largest black employer. How many kids are getting a good education because their parents can afford to send them to the best schools in that area. Hip-hop employs not just musicians, producers, photographers, models and web designers. You have kids going to Princeton and Notre Dame and they are hip-hop fans. I think they don’t do their homework about that. It is easier to put negativity on the TV, we all know it sells, but now go behind the scenes and see what people are doing in their neighborhoods to benefit.

RL: Is there one defining moment where you said I am not going down this path to ruin because I want to go down the path that leads to success?

N: I think there were a bunch of them. I had friends in jail. I had a daughter. When you have kids it puts a new perspective. It is not like your life is over, but in a way it is, now your responsibility is not for yourself, it is to another life. You look at that in a different way. You say I want to be a better parent than my parents were. My daughter, Chanel, is now 14 and she’s a fine young lady.

MOON, N9NE AND A DROP IN MONIKER!

If there are two hot spots in town under the same roof where you are guaranteed a run-in with the stars, “you gotta believe” it’s the Moon nightclub and the N9NE steakhouse restaurant-- both at George Maloof’s Palms resort-casino. More dramatic news, though: DJ Tiesto has decreed he will no longer use the DJ moniker in front of his performing name! He made that clear when he settled in at Moon, atop the Palms Fantasy Tower!

“Its Tiesto, not DJ Tiesto,” he told his eight-friend entourage as the Red Bull Cola models surrounded him seductively- but he stuck with Ketel One and cranberry! Former porn queen Jenna Jameson and her boyfriend, former UFC champion Tito Ortiz, were cuddled up closerthanthis at another table enjoying Dom Perignon champagne and Ketel One. Actors Chazz Palmenteri and Shemar Franklin Moore from Criminal Minds’ partied at separate tables with their friends. Dancing with the Stars Cheryl Burke and Kym Johnson stayed in their seats at Moon and just watched all their friends break it down on the dance floor!

Photo: N9NE Group

It's not DJ Tiesto (or Clark Kent, for that matter), it's just Tiesto.

One floor below at the Playboy Club, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams entertained six friends in the exclusive Fireplace Lounge. But downstairs at N9NE, it was wall-to-wall sports stars and celebrities. Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn dined with wide receiver teammate Braylon Edwards and six friends, Washington Wizards star Antawn Jamison entertained another six pals, Chicago Bulls forward Drew Gooden had dinner with skateboard star Ryan Shekler and friends, Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Melvin Fowler had dinner with seven pals, including Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, who didn’t eat but just stuck to Grey Goose and cranberry cocktails. Comedian Carlos Mencia had dinner with yet another group of six friends, but when pop band Linkin Park arrived they showed with 21 guests and took over half of the glassed private dining room for a bachelor party sendoff meal! Finally Las Vegas native and St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson and his head coach, Scott Linehan, dined on Chef Barry Dakake’s signature rock shrimp, oysters Rockefeller, steaks and creamed corn. Steve made the new Palomas rage his drink of choice- that’s Patron Silver tequila with grapefruit soda and a fresh grapefruit slice!

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