Nelly rakes in $50 million to sell 50% of music catalog

Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., has been in the entertainment industry for nearly three decades, starting in 1993 with the hip-hop group St. Lunatics.

Although the classic rapper returned to the limelight with the release of his 2021 album “Heartland,” he’s making headlines again by selling half of his music catalog in a multimillion-dollar deal.

Nelly sells half of his music catalog to HarbourView Equity Partners for $50 million.

On Wednesday, July 5, Nelly, 48, and her legal team struck a deal with HarbourView Equity Partners to buy her “assorted” musical assets.

A representative of the asset management company founded by Sherrese Clarke Soares confirmed the news. Species. However, no further details of the deal were disclosed. Still, reports shared that the deal included 50% of the “Air Force Ones” rapper’s music assets and is worth $50 million.

The sold catalog reportedly included some famous tracks, notably ‘Ride Wit Me’ and the chart-topping ‘Dilemma’ featuring Kelly Rowland and ‘Hot in Herre’. Nelly, represented by Steven Shapiro of Davis Shapiro Lewit & Grabel LLP, had something to say about the deal, expressing his delight at working with HarbourView to immortalize his music.

“As artists, we put our heart and soul into each track, and there comes a time when they consider preserving that artistry,” he said in a statement.

“My music is my legacy that I want to live on, continue to make my existing fans happy while reaching new generations and new audiences. I look forward to working with Harbourview to create opportunities for my music to be discovered decades from now.”

Company founder Soares added that the hip-hop star’s musical legacy has had an “incredible impact on generations of fans.” He also credited some works like “Hot in Herre” and “Shake Ya Tailfeather” with “defining the musical era of the undisputed blend of hip-hop, R&B and country.”

In closing, the investor stated, “We are thrilled to add these influential pieces to our repertoire and to work with the team to continue to support the arts within our ecosystem.”

Nelly has had many A-list collaborators throughout her music career, including Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Pharrell Williams and Usher. What’s more, the three-time Grammy winner is one of the first rappers to delve into the country music scene with his eighth studio album and first fully country-inspired project, “Heartland.”

In addition to its catalog, HarbourView has acquired a few others from artists in recent years, including country musicians Brad Paisley and Lady A, and rock band Incubus.

“Heartland,” which features male country musicians like Kane Brown, Breland, Tyler Hubbard and more, appears to be the first of many yet to come in Nelly’s country music exploration as she plans to release another album , on which he works only with female country music stars. .

Like the Music Times reported, spoke Audacy “Rob + Holly” about the upcoming project, and it turns out that it will be the second part of “Heartland”. The “Dilemma” singer stated, “Heartland 2, the project I’m working on right now, is the women of country music. This will be all my collaborations with women in country music.”

While he didn’t name anyone who might appear on the album, he promised that more information would be shared in due course. He also appreciated the country music community for letting him “come to the picnic.”

The “Party People” rapper was rumored to be back with Ashanti

As Nelly prepares to release her second country-inspired album, it seems she has rekindled her relationship with ex Ashanti, who she previously dated for about a decade.

Earlier in April, the duo was seen sitting together watching Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 2000s hip-hop couple were also seen holding hands as they left the venue, prompting speculation that they were reuniting twenty years after they first became items.

The next day, Nelly and Ashanti performed together at the packed TAO Beach Dayclub, singing their 2008 hit ‘Body On Me’.

During their performance, the 42-year-old singer was spotted dancing with the father of four, fueling rumors of a rekindled romance.