Nelly, real name Cornell Iral Haynes, is a hip-hop artist and businessman from the United States, Missouri. Nelly started performing in 1993 with a group St. Lunatics. By the year 2000 he secured a contract with a major recording label Universal Records and started his solo career. Nelly’s debut album Country Grammar became an instant hit, debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 3 and was later ranked at No. 1. Nelly net worth is currently estimated at $40 Million according to celebritynetworth.com .

Cornell formed the group St. Lunatics when he was still in high school. The band was quite popular in his hometown, but failed to attract wider audience and did not receive any attractive offers from record companies. Disappointed with his own project Nelly abandoned St. Lunatics and started to pursue solo career. It was not long before Nelly was noticed by A&R Kevin Law and signed a contract with Universal Records.

In the beginning most of the people within the company did not believe that Nelly will ever rise to prominence, his colleagues criticized both his music and lyrics. Those non-believers were all proved wrong when Nelly’s first album Country Grammar was released. The album sold 8.5 million copies nationwide, received 9x Platinum certification from Recording Industries Association of America and added a solid sum to Nelly net worth. Three singles from this album enjoyed exclusive popularity: “Ride Wit Me”, “E.I.” and “Batter Up”.

His second album entitled Nellyville was released in 2002 and debuted at number one position on Billboard 200. The album featured whole bunch of guest appearances, including Kelly Rowland, Justin Timberlake, Murphy Lee and Nelly’s former band St. Lunatics. Hits like “It’s Getting Hot in Here”, “Dilemma” and “Pimp Juice” were played on the radio for months to come.

Although the album did not repeat the success of Country Grammar, it is responsible for a good bulk of current Nelly net worth. In autumn 2004 this rapper released two more albums, Suit and Sweat. Suit was oriented at R&B fans and Sweat was oriented at the traditional Nelly’s audience, hip-hop lovers. Both albums were extremely successful and together occupied two highest positions on Billboard. The albums Brass Knuckles and 5.0 were released in the following years but they did not enjoy the same popularity as did his first albums.

Another bulk of Nelly net worth came from his ventures in fashion and numerous endorsements. In 2003 Nelly released a line of sneakers called “Air Dertty”. The design of those shoes was based on Charles Barkley’s brand. Nelly also appeared on various commercials, starting with ads for Got Milk and ranging to such automobile market giants as Ford Motor Company.