Nelly's "Country Grammar" Has Gone Certified Diamond... Wait... Nelly?

 

(Source) — A big shoutout to Nelly, whose debut album Country Grammar was certified DIAMOND (10 million records sold) by the RIAA as of July 21, 2016. RIAA awarded Nelly his diamond plaque Monday night at a Musicians On Call event in Philadelphia.Released in 2000, Country Grammar becomes only the eighth album in hip hop history to be certified diamond. Here are the other seven:

2Pac ‘All Eyez On Me’
2Pac ‘Greatest Hits’
Eminem ‘The Eminem Show’
Eminem ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’
Outkast ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’
The Notorious B.I.G. ‘Life After Death’
MC Hammer ‘Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em’

 

 

 

 

At first that definitely hits you as a surprise. Nelly went diamond? Like, Nelly Nelly? The guy who made Sweat and Suit? The dude who collaborated with Florida Georgia Line and Tim McGraw (both heaters btw)? That’s the guy we’re talking about in the same breath as 2Pac, Eminem, Outkast, and BIG? The man who starred in the Adam Sandler remake of The Longest Yard?

 

Yup, that’s the one.

 

And you’re goddamn right we’re talking about him with those other artists, the best rappers to ever live.

 

Because time may have fogged your memory a bit, but Country Grammar was the banginest album you had ever heard in your entire life. If you didn’t have at least two copies, an edited version for your mom’s van and and the Parental Advisory version for your ESP discman, then you were a fucking zero. A zero. I was only eleven so my knowledge of midwestern rap wasn’t exactly at an expert level, but that album was some of the coolest shit I’d ever heard. Country Grammar the single was either on the radio or on my boombox morning, noon, and night. Looking over the track list right now I could probably still rap 3/4 of these songs, whole album just bangs top to bottom. St Louie; Greed, Hate, Envy; EI; Ride Wit Me; Thicky Thick Girl; Batter Up; Country Grammar, of course. Just an AWESOME album that deserved to go diamond a long time ago, but I guess late is better than never.