Nellyville

1	Nellyville 4:15
2	Gettin' It Started / Cedric The Entertainer 1:51
3	Hot in Herre 3:48
4	Dem Boyz / Murphy Lee 4:34
5	Oh Nelly / Murphy Lee 4:03
6	Pimp Juice 4:52
7	Air Force Ones / Murphy Lee 5:04
8	In the Store / Cedric The Entertainer 1:40
9	On the Grind / King Jacob 4:45
10	Dilemma 4:49
11	Splurge 5:09
12	Work It 4:22
13	Roc the Mic / Murphy Lee Remix 4:17
14	The Gank / Waiel "Wally" Yaghnam 4:48
15	5000 2:11
16	#1 3:18
17	CG 2 / Murphy Lee 4:32
18	Say Now 5:42
19	**** It Then / Cedric The Entertainer 1:38

Barnes & Noble

Why mess with a good thing? That's Nelly's M.O. on his sophomore disc, Nellyville, which makes the most of the same catchy, nursery-rhyme style flow that propelled his debut album, Country Grammar, to multi-platinum status. The St. Louis rapper also sticks to the same subject matter with a new batch of tunes about partying, dodging haters, and kickin' it with the ladies. Adding to its appeal, Nellyville is peopled with an A-list of guest stars, including Justin Timberlake on the wah-wah guitar-accented "Work It" (perhaps returning the favor for Nelly's appearance on 'N Sync's "Girlfriend" remix, which earned the boy band more urban radio airplay), Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child on the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony-reminiscent ballad "Dilemma," and hit makers the Neptunes, who contribute their signature, highly electronic production work to the go-go-inspired single "Hot in Herre." Still, in an effort to defend his street cred, Nelly comes through hard on "Roc the Mic (Remix)," which features Rockfella Beanie Sigel and takes a humorous jab at old-school rapper KRS-One. But even when he's trying to play the bad boy, Nelly is still one of rap's music most jovial MCs. So if you like your hip-hop danceable and lighthearted, you'll enjoy the ride to Nellyville. Larry "The Blackspot" Hester

All Music Guide

Nelly's debut album, Country Grammar, was a left-field surprise smash hit, racking up a number of hits and turning the Midwestern pop-rapper into an overnight superstar. It's perhaps little surprise then that his follow-up, Nellyville, sticks to the script. Like Country Grammar, it's produced almost entirely by newcomer Jason "Jay E" Epperson, and it too relies on catchy, singalong hooks that are more pop than rap. Moreover, there are some clear, clever rewrites here, with "Pimp Juice" in particular relying on the same slow-grooving rhythm that made "Country Grammar" and "E.I." such jams two summers earlier. Nelly also retains his tough-guy posturing here -- he's no gangsta, nor is he an outright thug, but he is awfully damn cocky and a lot gruffer than your typical teen pop star. All of this makes Nellyville just as good as its predecessor. What makes it two or three notches better, however, are the few occasions where Nelly tries something new -- namely on "Hot in Herre," "Dilemma," and "Rock the Mic," three well-calculated, standout moments. The first is a trademark Neptunes production with an infectious hook, tailor-made for radio and club play; the second is a straight, saccharine interpolation of Patti LaBelle's 1983 hit "Love, Need and Want You" that features a duet with Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland, and is as likely to appeal to those who are old enough to know the original as those who are too young to realize how much of a straight cover this is; and the third is a remix of Beanie Sigel and Freeway's previously released hit for Roc-a-Fella, and is one of the only pure hip-hop moments here, and a welcome one at that. All of this amounts to a sure-fire pop-rap album that should not only please anyone who enjoyed Country Grammar; it should also attract yet more fans who will be drawn in by the few aforementioned standout moments of pop calculation. And that's not even mentioning the Justin Timberlake feature, which should be a draw in itself for many teen pop fans. Jason Birchmeier

Entertainment Weekly

Nelly's music moves forward in funk-rooted blips and starts, embellished with high vocal whoops, asides, and exclamations that function as hooks. Tom Sinclair

Vibe

Nellyville, his second outing, is a wager that the 8 million who bought it before could do with some more. Nelly's clever lyrics show that there is an insightful cat wrapped inside that Top Forty appeal. He doesn't challenge you, but that was never his goal. Rob Marriott