Artist: Nelly
Album: Brass Knuckles
Release Date: 9.16.08

Hey yo Nelly! Between you and your girlfriend Ashanti, ya’ll owe me about $21 in refunds for BAD MUSIC. And here’s the thing: I actually liked your music! I rocks to Nellyville, and I even supported your dual release, Sweat/Suit (Suit was by far the better disc), but this Brass Knuckles crap? Maybe you’ve been hanging around Ashanti too long and her wackness is starting to rub off on you, but whatever it is… you need to get it together, and quick! *clears throat* Now back to our regularly scheduled Brass Knuckles review:

St. Louis native and rap-singer Nelly has released his 4^th (or 5^th) studio album, Brass Knuckles and to put it simply, I’ve heard better. This album is littered with corny lyrics, and an overall lack of reasonable content. On an album with 14 tracks, there are really only about 4 songs worth spinning, the rest should have been left on the cutting room floor.

There’s no question about Nelly’s ability to draw your attention. His hooks are known to be some of the hottest in the game, which is evidenced on the lead singles Party People and Stepped on my J’z, the latter of which is the highlight of the album – that’s right, it doesn’t get any better than that track. Body on Me never really struck me as a hit, but it was a nice breezy joint to listen to. Singles aside, the only other track worth a listen is the opening number U Ain’t Him which features Miami-heavyweight (in every sense of the word) Rick Ross. The worst track of all is Lie, the lame hook just gets stuck in my head…like Nelly, are you serious!?!? And he dragged the St. Lunatics into that one too. There’s a little redemption for Nelly’s crew on Chill which is another decent track. Pharrell’s production kicks hard on Let It Go Lil Mama but the song just doesn’t hit like it should. And Snoop… let’s not even talk about L.A., where Snoop and Nate Dogg make unnecessary appearances. Sometimes, it’s good to just say “No, thanks” Snoop.

Overall I consider this project a major flop, which isn’t lookin too good for Nelly returning from a hiatus of almost 4 years. The songs that could be hits have already been released, with the exception of the Rick Ross featured U Ain’t Him. I really didn’t need another coaster, but hey, if I can’t get a refund, I’ll find some other purpose for this album. Rumor has it that he’s teaming up with T.I. for a collaborative project. If that’s true, Nelly better bring his ‘A’ game to work with the King, or stick to modeling like his talent-lacking other half…

-Mack-