Brass Knuckles - Nelly

There is one thing that Nelly’s Brass Knuckles does not lack, and that is star power. The man puts T.I. and LL Cool J on a track together for God’s sake. In fact, he gets a lot of people on his latest album: R. Kelly, Fergie, Pharell, Ashanti, Akon, and Snoop just to name a few.

It’s a little puzzling though that he only has two songs with his own crew, the St. Lunatics. The St. Louis scene has been remarkably quiet considering the success the region had in early part of the new millennium. And you would think that with the ‘Go really going right now that Tha Lou would be right behind with some sick collabos. Not the case. Nelly waited four long years to drop a track, and his crew has been equally idle.

Nelly continues his sing-song rapping style and does well with it on a few tracks, but overall Nelly should probably try to get another aspect to his game.

A few highlights: “Self Esteem” featuring Chuck D, some positive music is always a good thing; “Let It Go” featuring Pharell, insane production and a different sound from Nelly; “L.A.” featuring Snoop and Nate Dogg, seemingly awkward yet interesting rhyming scheme Nelly pulls off on this one; “Hold Up” featuring T.I. and LL Cool J, this song will have ladies on the dance floor and lookin’ for someone to be close to.

The producers on this album also make this album worth copping, if only for the beat that it puts in your trunk. Nelly needs to redefine his game a little bit, tracks like “Bay” featuring E-40 really test his abilities and push him out of his comfort zone, and in return you get an unbelievable song a la Tha Bay Area.