Sweatsuit [Clean] [Edited]

Performer: Nelly
Artist: Pharrell Williams; Jaheim; Tim McGraw; Jazze Pha; T.I.; Ronald Isley; Snoop Dogg; Anthony Hamilton; Lincoln University Vocal Ensemble; Jasper Cameron; Lunatics; Murphy Lee; Stephen Marley; Missy Elliott; Mobb Deep; Gipp; Ali; Paul Wall; Avery Storm; Jagged Edge; P. Diddy; Biggie
Engineer: Jun Ishizeki; Jason Carson; Al Byno; Brian Frye; Marc Stephen Lee; Brandon "B Don" Matthews; John Horesco IV; Nico Solis; Chip Karpells; Serge Tsai; Kevin Law; Carl Nappa
Producer: Phillip Duckett; James D. "Sted Fast" II Hargrove; Jazze Pha; Jermaine Dupri; Bruce Waynne; Jayson "Ko Ko" Bridges
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: James D. "Sted Fast" II Hargrove, Richard "Rip" Gager (guitar); Jayson "Koko" Bridges (drums, percussion); Bryan Loss (drums); Rajinder Kala (congas); Kim Moore Johnson (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Jermaine Dupri; Phil Tan; Richard Travali. Recording information: Basement Beats Studios, St. Louis, MO; Daddy's House Studios, New York, NY; Darp Studios, Atlanta, GA; Derrty Studios, LA; Derry Studios, LA; Derry Studios, St. Louis, MO; Do Or Die Recording; Jupiter Studios, St. Louis, MO; Levelhead Studios, Atlanta, GA; Lion's Den Studio, Miami, FL; Patchwerk Studios, Atlanta, GA; Platinum Sound Recording, New York, NY; Sho Nuff Studios, Atlanta, GA; SouthSide Studios, Atlanta, GA; The Grind House, Adamsville, GA; The Lab, New York, NY; The Record Plant, LA; Village Recorder, LA. Photographers: James White ; Jonathan Mannion. SWEATSUIT brings together on one album all of the hits from Nelly's dual releases SWEAT and SUIT, both of which went multi-platinum. Cherry-picking the hits from both albums, SWEATSUIT includes the Neptunes-produced infidelity anthem "Play It Off," "Over and Over" with Tim McGraw," and the funky, mid-tempo "Playa," featuring Mobb Deep and Missy Elliott. This "recent greatest hits" set nicely represents Nelly's sultry, sing-songy pop-rap, with its debt to both classic R&B and contemporary hip-hop. Three new tracks, including the single "Grillz" (with guest spots by Paul Wall and Ali), are added bonuses. One of the wiser re-releases of the 2005 holiday season, Nelly's Sweatsuit compiles the best moments of his Sweat and Suit albums from a year earlier, and it adds four new songs as well. The end result is the album that should have been released initially -- from a consumer standpoint, at least. Of course, especially savvy listeners made their own Sweatsuits, using iTunes to resequence the best songs from Sweat and, in particular, Suit into a solid, well-balanced, smoothly mixed listen. Those people won't have any need for this official Sweatsuit. The new songs are unexceptional (and not entirely new, some of them available elsewhere) and the sequencing is poor (frontloading the singles and randomly scrambling the rest, which makes for a jagged flow). But for those who don't already own Sweat or Suit, Sweatsuit is an economical means of picking up the many highlights of those albums in one purchase. It's a wise re-release, and one wishes it would have been available a year earlier for the sake of cash-strapped fans who felt ambivalence toward the prospect of buying two spotty, relatively brief albums when a single-disc, 80-minute one like this would have offered more value. In any event, the release of Sweatsuit is better late than never, not unlike an apology. ~ Jason Birchmeier

St. Louis, Missouri rapper Nelly (of the St. Lunatics clique) dominated MTV and radio in late 2000 with his debut COUNTRY GRAMMAR, which featured irresistible hooks, a danceable tempo, newly styled bounce beats different from the New Orleans-based No Limit output, and, perhaps most importantly, Nelly's own photogenic, confident appeal. Pushing a party atmosphere is nothing new in commercial hip-hop, but Nelly delivered the product with country twang-inflected lyrics full of St. Louis regionalisms, hence "country grammar." The distinctive MC would prove no flash in the pan, notching top-selling albums and radio hits (most notably, the club banger "Hot in Herre") throughout the '00s.

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