Brass Knuckles (album)

Brass Knuckles is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Nelly, released on September 16, 2008 after several delays. In 2008 Nelly embarked on The Brass Knuckles Tour in support of the album.

Brass Knuckles
Studio album by
Nelly
ReleasedSeptember 16, 2008 (2008-09-16)
Recorded2007–08
GenreHip hop
Length58:15
LabelDerrty Ent., Universal Motown
Producer
Nelly chronology
Sweat / Suit
(2004)		 Brass Knuckles
(2008)		 5.0
(2010)
Singles from Brass Knuckles
  1. "Wadsyaname"
    Released: August 21, 2007
  2. "Party People"
    Released: April 15, 2008
  3. "Body on Me"
    Released: June 10, 2008
  4. "Stepped on My J'z"
    Released: July 1, 2008
  5. "One and Only"
    Released: November 18, 2008

Background

Production was set to come from Bryan-Michael Cox, Neff-U and Pharrell, among others.[1][1][2][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Nelly mentioned in an interview that producer Polow da Don produced tracks for the album.[9] On March 30, Nelly told HipHopDX.com that "the album would feature a handful of new producers."[10] Nelly was set to collaborate with Springsteen but he stated he was hopeful to collaborate with him on a future album, or even a repackage of Brass Knuckles. Dupri gave a look into the two collaborations, one being Nelly, Carey and Jackson all appearing on the same track, in which he stated Nelly has laid the following blueprint.[11]

Nelly's got a crazy collaboration he's trying to put together, which is him, Janet and Mariah Carey all on one song...That's what he wants. If he could convince them to do it, it would be crazy. [He] wants [Janet] to rap a 16-bar verse, he wants [Mariah] to sing the hook and he's gonna do two verses. [He] has it all planned out. You ask him about it! This is what he wants; he's 100-percent deadlocked into it.

Jermaine Dupri also stated possibilities of hopeful collaborations with Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson.[2][11] Nelly went on to speak about the possibility of the Springsteen collaboration and that two of his own tracks will appear on the album.[11]

I think he's doing a record with Bruce Springsteen. You know he always has to do one of those! My two records [that J.D. has produced for Nelly so far], he's gonna have some people on them—I won't tell it yet. I don't want to jinx the record.

Singles

The first single was believed to be "Cut It Out" which features rappers Pimp C and Sean P of YoungBloodZ, but was later confirmed to be "Wadsyaname", which was released digitally on August 21, 2007. However, because of the pushed release dates from October 16, 2007 and on, the first official single was changed to "Party People", which features Fergie. It was released on March 18, 2008 and peaked at number forty on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number fourteen on the UK Singles Chart. The album's second single "Stepped on My J'z", which features Ciara and Jermaine Dupri was released on June 11, 2008. It peaked at number ninety on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Body on Me", which features Akon and Ashanti, was released as the third single from the album on June 9, 2008. It peaked at number forty-two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the UK Singles Chart.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[12]
RapReviews8/10[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Vibe[15]

Reviews for the album have been generally mixed. Pharoh Martin of Vibe stated that "Brass Knuckles is standard Nelly fare."[15] RapReviews wrote that "underneath the materialistic veneer Nelly's got a good delivery, sharp lyrics and impeccable breath control." [13]

Commercial performance

Brass Knuckles debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 83,717 copies in its first week in the United States. Only 8-weeks later, the album was left on the Billboard 200 chart. On March 21, 2009, the album re-appeared at number 152. On December 12, 2008, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping over 500,000 copies in the United States.[16] As of September 2010, the album has sold over 223,000 copies in the United States.[17]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."U Ain't Him" (featuring Rick Ross)Cornell Haynes, Jr., William Roberts II, Adam CherringtonWyshmaster3:15
2."Hold Up" (featuring T.I. & LL Cool J)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Rufus Morgan, Tadd Mingo, Clifford Harris, Jr., Todd SmithFree Agentz3:48
3."LA" (featuring Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Calvin Broadus, Jr., Nathaniel Hale, Theron FeemsterTheron "Neff-U" Feemster4:23
4."Long Night" (featuring Usher)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Ryon Lovette, Usher Raymond IV, James LackeyJames "JLack" Lackey3:15
5."Lie" (featuring St. Lunatics)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Jamal Jones, Brian Kennedy, Ali Jones, Robert Cleveland, Torhi Harper,Polow da Don4:20
6."Party People" (featuring Fergie)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Jamal Jones, Garrett Hamler, Stacy FergusonPolow da Don, Garrett3:58
7."Self-Esteem" (featuring Chuck D)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Robert Mandell, Carlton RidenhourG Koop3:37
8."Body on Me" (featuring Akon & Ashanti)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Aliaune Thiam, Giorgio Tuinfort, Ashanti DouglasAkon, Giorgio Tuinfort3:29
9."Stepped on My J'z" (featuring Ciara & Jermaine Dupri)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Jermaine Dupri, James PhillipsJermaine Dupri5:03
10."Let It Go Lil' Mama" (featuring Pharrell)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Pharrell WilliamsThe Neptunes4:22
11."One and Only"Cornell Haynes Jr., Jamal Jones, Darnell Dalton, Lamar TaylorPolow da Don, Andrew "Papa Justifi" Wansel4:20
12."Chill" (featuring St. Lunatics)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Adam Cherrington, Ali Jones, Robert Cleveland , Tohri Harper, Lavell WebbWyshmaster5:42
13."Who Fucks wit Me" (featuring Avery Storm)Cornell Haynes Jr., Chris Saleh, Matthew BattleBoom-Batts4:08
14."Ucud Gedit" (featuring Gucci Mane & R. Kelly)Cornell Haynes, Jr., Jamal Jones, Robert Kelly, Radric DavisPolow da Don4:28
Total length:58:15
iTunes bonus tracks[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
18."Warrior"Haynes, FeemsterTheron "Neff-U" Feemster2:43
19."Let's Go"Haynes, CherringtonWyshmaster3:44
Total length:64:44
Walmart bonus tracks[19]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Bay"Haynes, Earl Stevens, Jr.Droop-E3:42
16."Problems"Haynes, JonesPolow da Don3:11
Total length:65:09
Japanese bonus tracks[20]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."Wadsyaname"HaynesTheron "Neff-U" Feemster4:07
Total length:66:05
Sample credits
  • "Stepped on My J'z" Contains a sample of "Tipsy" performed by J-Kwon.

Chart positions
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart[21] 15
Canadian Albums Chart[22] 22
French Albums Chart[21] 88
Irish Albums Chart[21] 60
New Zealand Albums Chart[21] 22
Swiss Albums Chart[21] 55
UK Albums Chart[21] 20
US Billboard 200[23] 3
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23] 2
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[23] 1
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References
  1. Scott Bowles, Steve Jones and Pete Johnson (September 6, 2007). Coming attractions: Nelly's ready to crack his 'Knuckles'. USA Today. Accessed September 9, 2007.
  2. Shaheem Reid (August 22, 2007). T.I., Akon, Snoop, Pimp C Get Behind Nelly's Brass Knuckles. MTV. Accessed August 22, 2007.
  3. Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Tim Kash and Jayson Rodriguez (May 1, 2007). Mixtape Monday: 50 Cent Talks Batman, Both New LPs; Rick Ross Rubs Elbows With Jay, Jeezy Archived July 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine MTV. Accessed August 22, 2007.
  4. Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and Brennan Williams (October 8, 2007). The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes from the Underground Archived February 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. MTV. Accessed October 10, 2007.
  5. Jayson Rodriguez, with additional reporting by Sway J. Calloway (October 16, 2007). Nelly Ready to Battle Don Imus, Other Foes with Hard-Hitting New LP. MTV. Accessed October 16, 2007.
  6. Nelly in Studio with JoJo. KISS-FM (August 14, 2007). Accessed December 13, 2007.
  7. DADDYMACKOFNYC (February 12, 2008). Chuck D Interview Part 4 of 4 on YouTube. Accessed February 13, 2008.
  8. Nelly & Ashanti Interview – Rap-Up TV. Rap-Up TV. Accessed August 25, 2007.
  9. Nelly Exclusive Interview Part 1 on YouTube
  10. (March 30, 2008). Nelly Preps New Album Archived 2014-10-16 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed April 20, 2008.
  11. Anthony Springer, Jr. (August 23, 2007). Nelly Is Back! Archived 2012-06-16 at the Wayback Machine. HipHopDX. Accessed August 23, 2007.
  12. Kellman, Andy. "Brass Knuckles - Nelly". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  13. RR. "Nelly's "Brass Knuckles"". RapReviews. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  14. Hoard, Christian (2008-09-18). "Brass Knuckles : Nelly : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  15. Pharoh Martin (September 17, 2008)."Nelly: "Brass Knuckles"". Archived from the original on 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2008-09-25. Vibe. Accessed September 24, 2008
  17. "Nelly Regains Cool with Taylor Swift's Help". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
  18. "Brass Knuckles by Nelly on Apple Music".
  19. http://www.walmart.com/ip/10340727
  20. "Nelly Brass Knuckles JAPAN CD 2Bonus Mint W OBI 36 1 - eBay".
  21. Nelly - Brass Knuckles - Music Charts αCharts. Accessed September 24, 2008.
  22. Top Canadian Albums - Brass Knuckles - Nelly Billboard. Accessed September 25, 2008.
  23. Katie Hasty (September 24, 2008). Metallica Edges Ne-Yo, Nelly To Remain No. 1 Billboard. Accessed September 24, 2008.
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