DIAMOND SELLING HIP HOP SUPERSTAR NELLY SIGNS DEAL WITH FOX; FIRST UP- FS1’S SKIP AND SHANNON: UNDISPUTED

DIAMOND SELLING HIP HOP SUPERSTAR NELLY JOINS AN ELITE GROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ACTORS ON TELEVISION WITH THREE SHOWS CONCURRENTLY AIRING

(Los Angeles, CA) - As BET’s Real Husbands of Hollywood premiere quickly approaches and with season two of Nellyville not far behind, actor and hip hop superstar Nelly has signed a new deal with Fox. For his first project, the rapper joins Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe and Joy Taylor on FS1’s new sports-debate show Tuesday, Nov. 1 (9:30 AM ET), discussing the day’s current sports topics. The appearance marks the rapper’s new role as a contributing analyst to the show.

Joining this show launches Nelly into an elite group of less than five African American actors/musicians currently airing on three concurrent television shows.


“I can’t wait to reunite with my man Nelly,” says Bayless. “Seven years ago he was the first rapper we ever had on my former debate show, and he was a revelation. He can debate sports with the same passion, guts and clever creativity that he writes and performs his classic music. He and I share this: we think we’ve never lost a debate. Nelly was made for UNDISPUTED on FS1.”

“I’m really excited to join FOX Sports and work with Skip, Shannon and Joy to discuss all the sports topics I love,” says Nelly.

Nelly feels privileged to be among such talented African American men paving the way for future talent and raising the bar for industry standards. “With new music out, touring, Real Husbands of Hollywood out October 11th and Nellyville season two, Country Grammar going diamond and now getting to work with Fox Sports, this is a great year, and I’m excited to be presented with continuous new opportunities”, says Nelly, “I usually just comment on sports from my couch, I’m very passionate about sports, so this is something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m looking forward to working with Fox, Skip and the team.”

Nelly is a Grammy Award-winning rap superstar, entrepreneur, philanthropist, actor and newly recognized Diamond-selling artist known for his Billboard No. 1 hits "Hot in Herre" and "Cruise," as well as several No. 1 albums. His debut album, "Country Grammar" is only the eighth hip-hop album ever to sell 10-million records. He won Grammy Awards in 2003 and 2004.

In addition to his music career, he currently stars in his own television series “Nellyville,” about his life balancing career and family. He is part of Kevin Hart's ensemble comedic cast in the pop culture parody “Real Husbands of Hollywood” and has acted in several films. Part-owner of the Charlotte Hornets, Nelly is a stellar amateur athlete and avid sports fan who brings his passion and his likable sense of humor to the table. Nelly lends his name to numerous philanthropic causes including Make-a-Wish and, most recently, Face Forward.

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Direct any questions for Nelly to Juliette Harris and JulietteH@itgirlpublicrelations.com

About Nelly
Multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning rap superstar, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and actor, Nelly, has continually raised the bar for the entertainment industry since stepping on the scene in 2000 with his distinctive vocals and larger-than-life personality. That year, his debut album, Country Grammar, landed Nelly four Grammy Award nominations and sold over nine million copies worldwide recently achieving diamond status. Nelly kept the momentum going with the 2002 release of Nellyville. The album debuted at #1 on top of scoring Nelly his first two Grammy Awards for “Hot in Here” – Best Male Rap Solo Performance – and “Dilemma” [feat. Kelly Rowland] – Best Rap Song Collaboration. He has since gone on to win multiple American Music Awards, a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award, Soul Train Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and was crowned “Top Pop, Rap, and R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year” by Billboard. Topping Hip Hop Charts, Country Charts and Pop charts makes him one of the most versatile music artists in the industry. In particular, "Hot in Herre " has stood the test of time having recently debuted at No. 6 on Billboard & Clio's Top Commercials chart, powered by Shazam, with "HandClap." 2013-2016 brought top singles “Cruise” reached diamond status, “The Fix” sampling Marvin Gaye, and summer sixteens dance anthem “Millionaire” with Cash Cash and Digital Animal Farm. The St. Louis native released his seventh full-length album in 2013, M.O. [Republic Records] featuring guest appearances by Nicki Minaj, Pharrell, Future, T.I., and 2 Chainz as well as production powerhouses Rico Love (Beyonce, Usher) and Detail (Lil Wayne, T-Pain). In 2016, Nelly was featured in an unique opportunity to perform alongside the country’s most prestigious orchestras including St. Louis, Columbus and Pittsburgh garnering great reviews. Nelly has performed on NBC’s The Voice, The American Music Awards, ABC’s Greatest Hits and served as a judge on CW’s The Next. The music mogul has also left his mark in other aspects of the industry, introducing his hugely successful women’s clothing line, Apple Bottoms, men’s clothing line, Vokal, Pimp Juice energy drink and is part owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. In 2005, he made his big screen debut in the Adam Sandler and Chris Rock hit remake, The Longest Yard and in starred in Reach Me with Sylvester Stone 2014. Nelly joined the cast of the #1-rated BET sitcom The Real Husbands of Hollywood in 2013 and just announced the second season of his own show, Nellyville. Nelly also has strong philanthropic ties with Make a Wish, Face Forward and in 2003, he and his late sister Jackie Donahue diagnosed with leukemia, hosted the largest African American bone marrow drive to date. Currently he is the only rapper/music artist to own his own college, EI University, which provides education surrounding the music industry while Nelly himself provides scholarships.

SKIP AND SHANNON: UNDISPUTED airs on FS1 weekdays from 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM ET and is hosted by Bayless and Sharpe, with moderator Taylor. The two-and-a-half-hour format enables the team to deep-dive into numerous topics and discuss the current news of the day. It also features sports and celebrity guests. Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and view show clips here on YouTube. For more information, go to FOX Sports Press Pass

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This release was published on openPR.