Nelly
Background information
Birth name	Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr.
Born	(1974-11-02) November 2, 1974 (age 37) Austin, Texas, United States
Origin	St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Genres	Hip pop, pop, R&B
Occupations	Rapper, singer, entrepreneur, actor
Years active	1993-present
Labels	Derrty Ent., Universal Motown, Bad Boy South[1]
Associated acts	St. Lunatics
Website	nelly.net

Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American Grammy Award winning hip hop artist, entrepreneur and occasional actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album Country Grammar, the title track of which was a top ten hit. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to peak at number one. Country Grammar is Nelly's best-selling album to date, selling over 8.4 million copies in the United States.^[2] His following album, Nellyville, produced the number-one hits "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma" featuring Kelly Rowland. Other singles included "Work It" featuring Justin Timberlake, "Air Force Ones" featuring Murphy Lee and the St. Lunatics, "Pimp Juice" and "#1".

With the same-day dual release Sweat and Suit (2004) and the compilation Sweatsuit (2006), Nelly continued to generate many chart-topping hits. Sweat debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 342,000 copies in its first week. On the same week of release, Suit debuted at number one selling around 396,000 copies in its first week on the same chart. Nelly's fifth studio album, Brass Knuckles, was released on September 16, 2008 after several delays. It produced the singles "Party People" featuring Fergie, "Stepped on My J'z" featuring Jermaine Dupri and Ciara and "Body on Me" featuring Akon and Ashanti. In 2010, Nelly released the album 5.0. The lead single, "Just a Dream", has appeared in the top ten of several singles charts and were certified platinum in the United States. The second single is "Move That Body" featuring T-Pain and Akon. "Gone" is the sequel to Nelly's 2002 worldwide number one single "Dilemma", also with Rowland, and serves as third single from Nelly's album.

He won Grammy Awards in 2003 and 2004 and had a supporting role in the 2005 remake film The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. He has two clothing lines, Vokal and Apple Bottoms. He has been referred to by Peter Shapiro as "one of the biggest stars of the new millennium",^[3] and the RIAA ranks Nelly as one of the best-selling male artists in American music history,^[4] with 21 million albums sold in the United States. On December 11, 2009, Billboard ranked Nelly the number three Top Artist of the Decade.^[5]

Life and career[link]

1974–00: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Nelly was born in Austin, Texas, where his father was serving in the military. When he was seven, his parents divorced.^[6] Nelly moved with his mother from inner city St. Louis to suburban University City, Missouri as a teenager. While still in high school, Nelly formed the St. Lunatics, who enjoyed local popularity with their single "Gimme What Ya Got". When a major record deal failed to appear, Nelly decided to go solo.^[7] He was signed to Universal Music Group by A&R Kevin Law.^[8] Law told HitQuarters that very few people at the record company liked Nelly when he was first signed, with the feedback he received from his colleagues on the rapper's music being "extraordinarily negative".^[8] Nelly was unusual for being a rapper from the Midwest at a time when the hip-hop scenes were centred around the East Coast, West Coast and the South. The label used this to their advantage by branding Nelly as a star of the Midwest, hoping to inspire pride in the people of St Louis and the surrounding region.^[8] Nelly was signed together with St. Lunatics.^[8] Kevin Law and Country from Fo'Reel Entertainment decided to do a solo record with Nelly first and then return to St. Lunatics the following year.^[9]

The label released his major label debut Country Grammar in 2000. The success of its title track as a single (#7 on the Hot 100 and #1 Hot Rap Tracks) led to the album debuting at number three in the Billboard 200 in the U.S. Other singles from the album included "E.I.", "Ride wit Me" featuring his brother City Spud and "Batter Up" featuring the St. Lunatics.^[7] The album was certified 9× platinum by the RIAA on April 27, 2004.^[10]

[edit] 2002–03: Nellyville

In 2002, Nelly's second album Nellyville was released, debuting at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Music Albums;^[11] its lead single "Hot in Herre" was a number-one hit. Other singles included "Dilemma" featuring Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child, "Work It" featuring Justin Timberlake, "Air Force Ones" featuring Murphy Lee and the St. Lunatics, "Pimp Juice", and "#1".^[7] This album was highly successful and was certified 6x multi-platinum on June 27, 2003.^[12] "Hot in Herre" won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance in 2003.^[13] In 2003 Nelly released Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention. It featured the hit single "Iz U" from the soundtrack to Walt Disney's The Haunted Mansion. The music video of a Tip Drill Remix became a source of controversy due to perceptions of misogynistic depictions of women. The controversy forced Nelly to cancel an appearance at a bone marrow drive at Spelman College, an historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia.^[14] Similar claims of misogyny also surrounded Nelly's single "Pimp Juice".^[15] RIAA have certified the album Platinum. For the Bad Boys II soundtrack album, Nelly contributed the single "Shake Ya Tailfeather" featuring Diddy and Murphy Lee. Another number-one hit, "Shake Ya Tailfeather" won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.^[13]

[edit] 2004–05: Sweat and Suit

On September 14, 2004, Nelly released two albums, Sweat and Suit. Suit, an R&B-oriented album, debuted at number one on the Billboard albums chart, and Sweat, a rap-oriented album, debuted at number two. From Suit, the slow ballad "Over and Over", an unlikely duet with country music star Tim McGraw, became a crossover hit.^[16] On the 2004 NBC television concert special Tim McGraw: Here and Now, McGraw and Nelly performed the song.^[17] A feud with another St. Louis-based rapper, Chingy, came up near the end of the year.^[18] Tsunami Aid: A Concert for Hope, a 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake benefit concert special produced by NBC, featured Nelly.^[19] In the winter of 2005 came Sweatsuit, a compilation of tracks from Sweat and Suit with three new tracks. "Grillz", produced by Jermaine Dupri, was a number-one hit. To date both albums have sold over 5 million units in the United States.

[edit] 2008: Brass Knuckles

Brass Knuckles was released on September 16, 2008, after several delays,^[20] Initial release dates for the album targeted October 16^[21] and November 13.^[22] Its original lead single was "Wadsyaname", a ballad-oriented track produced by Ron "NEFF-U" Feemstar and sampling the piano riff from "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo.^[21][22] Nelly later confirmed that "Wadsyaname" was never going to be on 'Brass Knuckles'. Nelly recorded Party People",^[21] featuring Fergie and produced by Polow da Don, which turned out to be his first official single off the album."^[20] Stepped On My J'z" was the next single, produced by Jermaine Dupri and featuring Dupri and Ciara; following that was "Body on Me", produced by Akon and featuring Akon and Ashanti. Nelly appeared on Rick Ross's third single "Here I Am" also featuring label mate Avery Storm.

[edit] 2009–11: 5.0 and O.E.M.O.

In the summer of 2009, Nelly made a public announcement in Las Vegas about the yet-to-be-titled album.^[23] In October 2009, Nelly did an interview with SOHH.com and said that the album was going to be released sometime in 2010.^[23] In a interview with Semtex TV, Nelly told reporters that he planned to release the album under the name Nelly.^[24] In April 2010, Nelly's cousin Michael Johnson was murdered in Missouri, Nelly said that he delayed releasing the album because of this.^[25] Guests featured on the album were, T-Pain, Chris Brown, Akon, Plies, T.I., Kelly Rowland, Birdman, DJ Khaled, Avery Storm and Diddy-Dirty Money.^[26] In May 2010, Nelly confirmed that the title of the album was 5.0.^[27] The album was released on November 16, 2010.^[28] The album's lead single "Just a Dream" was released on August 17, 2010, through iTunes^[29] along with the promotional single "Tippin' In da Club".^[30] The two songs were released to Mainstream and Rhythm/Crossover radio on August 10, 2010.^[31] "Just a Dream" made its first chart appearance debuting on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number twelve and peaking at number 3 in its fourth week. The song also debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart, selling 888,000 downloads in its first week.^[32][33] "Just a Dream" is Nelly's highest-charting song since his 2005 single "Grillz" and debuted at number 7 on the Billboard Rap Songs. The song entered the Canadian Hot 100 in August 2010, at number thirty-two^[34] It debuted in Australia (ARIA Charts) on the Singles Chart at number 3,^[35] in New Zealand Singles Charts at number twenty-nine, and in Switzerland (Media Control AG) at number fifty-two. The second single "Move That Body", which features T-Pain and Akon, was released on October 12, 2010.^[36] The song made its first chart appearance debuting on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number fifty-four and has reached a current peak at number twenty-nine in Australia.^[37][38] Nelly is featured on the second single by singer Mohombi titled "Miss Me", produced by RedOne. On November 13, 2010 Nelly appeared on the Pacquiao vs. Margarito pay-per-view, at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.^[39] "Gone" is the sequel to Nelly's 2002 worldwide number one single "Dilemma", also with Rowland, and serves as third single from Nelly's album. On December 24, 2011, Nelly released a mixtape titled O.E.M.O. (which stands for On Everything MO), which features guest performances from T.I., 2 Chainz, Bei Maejor, St. Louis, St. Lunatics, SAG Live and Trixie.^[40]

Artistry[link]

Musical style and influences[link]

Nelly’s rapping style has been described by Peter Shapiro as using "unforgettable hooks based on schoolyard songs, double-dutch chants, and nonsense rhymes"^[3] and has a "Missouri twang".^[41] Allmusic suggests Nelly's style is based largely on where he comes from - "Nelly's locale certainly informs his rapping style, which is as much country as urban, and his dialect as well, which is as much Southern drawl as Midwestern twang".^[7] Nelly explains his method of writing in the book How to Rap, describing how he freestyles most of the lyrics before going back over them to "make it a little tighter",^[42] he generally writes in the studio rather than at home,^[43] he normally comes up with a chorus for a song before writing the verses,^[44] and he likes to write to the music he will be rapping over.^[45] Allmusic also notes his "tongue-twisting" hooks, which are also often sung rather than rapped.^[46] Nelly began listening to artists like Rakim, LL Cool J, Run–D.M.C., Outkast, Goodie Mob and Jay-Z. He became convinced that his gift for rap could be parlayed into a career. He has his own style of rap which he likes to describe as a jazz form of hip hop.

Other ventures[link]

Nelly and Allen Iverson in 2007

Nike and Nelly agreed on a one-year deal in 2003 to release a limited-edition sneaker called the "Air Derrty" which was a retro remake of Charles Barkley's signature sneaker.^[47] Nelly later signed a shoe deal with Reebok.^[48] Nelly has done ads for Got Milk and the Ford Motor Company. His energy drink Pimp Juice sold one million cans during the first two months after its introduction in August 2003, and was criticized for its name by black consumer activists.^[49] Nelly owns Apple Bottoms, a female clothing line, and Vokal, which caters to men. He was one of the owners of the Charlotte Bobcats, along with Robert L. Johnson and Michael Jordan until Jordan became the new owner in March 2010.^[50]

Nelly has played the Main Event at the 2007 World Series of Poker.^[51] He has also played The PokerStars European Poker Tour and PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.^[52] In August, 2010, Nelly started a temporary stint as the afternoon host on WHHL HOT 104.1 in St. Louis. He is taking the place of regular PM drive personality, Stacy Static, who is on pregnancy leave.

According STLtoday, the initial ratings for the show are very high. This gig garnered national attention in the Huffington Post and other websites. On September 28, 2010, Nelly is releasing a fitness DVD entitled Celebrity Sweat, walking viewers through various exercises and weight training techniques.^[53]

Philanthropy[link]

Nelly runs the non-profit organization 4Sho4Kids Foundation. The Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign began in March 2003 by Nelly and his sister Jackie Donahue after Donahue was diagnosed with leukemia. The campaign attempts to educate African-Americans and other minorities about the need for bone marrow transplants, and to register more donors. Donahue lost her battle with leukemia on March 24, 2005, almost two years after the campaign began.^[54] In 2010, Nelly endorsed Do Something's Tackle Hunger campaign. In a public service announcement he filmed for the cause, Nelly challenged teens to fight hunger by collecting one million pounds of food for the holiday sesason.^[55]

Film and television career[link]

Nelly's film debut came in 2001 in the independent film Snipes playing a famous rapper named Prolifik.^[56] His big movie role came in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.^[57] The movie's soundtrack includes his songs "Errtime" and "Fly Away". In June 2008, in a interview with Kiwibox, Nelly revealed that he is reluctant to continue his acting career, noting that he does not want to "take away from the culture of acting."^[58] In 2008 and 2009, Nelly appeared in episodes of the CBS crime drama CSI: NY.^[59] In 2011, make a cameo appearance on 90210.

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

	Book: Nelly
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• List of awards and nominations received by Nelly

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nelly

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Nelly

• Official website
• Nelly at Allmusic
• Nelly on Twitter
• Nelly on Myspace
• Nelly at the Internet Movie Database

Kelly Rowland
Rowland Hosts TW Steel Events At Ivy Penthouse in Sydney, Australia 2012.
Background information
Birth name	Kelendria Trene Rowland
Born	(1981-02-11) February 11, 1981 (age 31) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Origin	Houston, Texas
Genres	R&B, pop, hip hop, dance
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, television personality
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Columbia, Universal Motown, Universal Republic[1]
Associated acts	Destiny's Child, Nelly, David Guetta
Website	kellyrowland.com

Kelly Rowland (born Kelendria Trene Rowland on February 11, 1981) is an American recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and television personality. Born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Houston, Texas, Rowland rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.

During the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Rowland released her debut solo album Simply Deep in 2002, which contained influences of alternative-R&B and rock music. It included her joint worldwide number-one single "Dilemma" with rapper Nelly, and the international top-ten hit "Stole". Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Rowland released her second solo effort Ms. Kelly in 2007 and despite being less successful than its predecessor, it included the international hit singles "Like This" and "Work". In 2009, Rowland scored her second worldwide number-one hit with French DJ David Guetta, on his single "When Love Takes Over". Her third solo album Here I Am was released in 2011 and included the UK top-ten hits "Commander" and "Down for Whatever", as well as the US R&B number-one "Motivation".

As a solo artist, Rowland has amassed estimated sales of four million albums and 18 million lead/featured singles worldwide.^[2] Her work has earned her several achievements, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Destiny's Child, four Grammy Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, and a Soul Train Music Award. Rowland has been honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Essence magazine for her contributions to music.

Apart from her work in music, Rowland has also launched a career in film and television. In 2002, she made her acting debut with guest appearances on sitcom series The Hughleys and Taina, prior to appearing in various films, including Freddy vs. Jason (2003), The Seat Filler (2004) and Think Like a Man (2012). In 2007, Rowland appeared as a choirmaster on the reality show Clash of the Choirs, and in 2009 she served as the host on Bravo's reality competition series The Fashion Show alongside Isaac Mizrahi. In 2011, Rowland joined the judging panel on the eighth series of The X Factor (UK).

Biography[link]

1981–1996: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Kelendria Trene Rowland was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the daughter of Doris Rowland Garrison and Christopher Lovett.^[3] When she was seven, her mother took her and left her father, who was an abusive alcoholic.^[4] At the age of eight, she relocated to Houston.^[5] Rowland was placed into a rapping and dancing group, along with friends Beyoncé Knowles and LaTavia Roberson.^[6] Originally named Girl's Tyme,^[7] they were eventually cut down to six members.^[8] West coast R&B producer, Arne Frager, flew into Houston to see them and eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studio, in Northern California.^[8] As part of efforts to sign Girl's Tyme to a major label record deal, Frager's strategy was to debut them in Star Search,^[9] the biggest talent show on national TV at that time.^[8] They participated, but lost the competition.^[10][11]

To manage the group, Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father, resigned in 1995 from his job as a medical-equipment salesman.^[12] He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training.^[9] At this time Rowland moved in with the Knowles.^[3] Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993.^[8][13] Rehearsing in Tina Knowles' hair styling salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time.^[13] They auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records, only to be dropped months later, before they could release an album.^[14]

1997–02: Breakthrough with Destiny's Child[link]

Destiny's Child performing their 2000 hit "Say My Name" during their farewell concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It

Taken from a passage in the Biblical Book of Isaiah, the group changed their name to Destiny's Child in 1993.^[13] Together, they performed in local events and, after four years on the road, the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997. That same year, Destiny's Child recorded their major label debut song "Killing Time", for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black.^[11][13] The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album, spawning hits such as "No, No, No".^[10] The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, amassing moderate sales and winning the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.^[13] The group rose to stardom after releasing their multi-platinum second album The Writing's on the Wall in 1999.^[15] The record featured some of the group's most widely known songs such as "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Jumpin' Jumpin'" and "Say My Name", which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain as one of their signature songs. "Say My Name" won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song at the 43rd Grammy Awards.^[13] The Writing's on the Wall sold more than 15 million copies worldwide,^[10] essentially becoming their breakthrough album.^[16][17]

Along with their commercial successes, the group became entangled in much-publicized turmoil involving the filing of a lawsuit by Luckett and Roberson for breach of contract. The issue was heightened after Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared in the video of "Say My Name", implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced.^[13] Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months,^[10] as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife.^[13] After settling on their final lineup, the trio recorded "Independent Women Part I", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film, Charlie's Angels. It became their best-charting single, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for eleven consecutive weeks.^[13][16] The success cemented the new lineup and skyrocketed them to fame.^[7] Later that year, Luckett and Roberson withdrew their case against their now-former band mates, while maintaining the suit against Mathew, which ended in both sides agreeing to stop public disparaging.^[13]

Later that year, while Destiny's Child was completing their third album Survivor, Rowland appeared on the remix of Avant's single "Separated", which reached the top spot of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.^[18] Survivor, which channeled the turmoil the band underwent, spawned its lead single of the same name, which was a response to the experience.^[19] The song went on to win a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.^[20] The themes of "Survivor", however, caused Luckett and Roberson to refile their lawsuit;^[13] the proceedings were eventually settled in June 2002.^[17] Meanwhile, the album was released in May 2001, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 663,000 copies sold.^[21] To date, Survivor has sold over twelve million copies worldwide, over forty percent of which were sold in the US alone.^[22] The album also spawned the number-one hit "Bootylicious". After releasing their remix album This Is the Remix in 2002, the group announced their temporary break-up to pursue solo projects.^[13]

[edit] 2002–06: Simply Deep, Destiny Fulfilled and group disbandment

Rowland in 2003

In 2002, Rowland teamed up with rapper Nelly to record the chorus and bridge vocals on the track "Dilemma" for his album Nellyville.^[23] Released as the album's second single, the song became one of the most successful singles of the year, topping the charts in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States.^{[24][25][26][27]} The single saw Rowland establishing herself as a solo artist, and won in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category of the 45th Grammy Awards.^[28]

Originally due in early 2003, the success of the collaboration caused the label to advance the release date of Rowland's debut solo album Simply Deep, which Rowland rushed within three weeks to get done.^[29][30] The album has a mixture of alternative-R&B and rock music.^[29][31] Featuring production contributions by Mark J. Feist, Big Bert, Rich Harrison, and singers Brandy and Solange Knowles providing background vocals, the album took Rowland's solo work further into an alternative music mixture, which Rowland described as a "weird fusion [of] a little bit of Sade and a little bit of rock."^[29][31] Released stateside in October 2002 and internationally in 2003, Simply Deep debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 77,000 copies sold.^[32] It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),^[33] and has since sold 602,000 copies in the US.^[32] Released to an even bigger success in international territories, the album topped the UK Albums Chart and became a gold-seller in Australia,^[34] Canada^[35] and New Zealand,^[36] resulting into worldwide sales total of 2.5 million copies.^[37] In her review for Simply Deep, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian wrote, "Thanks to the ubiquitous 'Dilemma', a song that practically peeled off its clothes on the spot, Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland is no longer a mere backing vocalist for Beyoncé Knowles."^[38]

The album yielded three singles. "Stole", a rock pop-influenced mid-tempo track about loss, was released as the album's lead single and became an international top-ten, peaking at number two in Australia and the United Kingdom.^[39][26] In the US, the song failed to capitalize on the success of "Dilemma", reaching the top-thirty only.^[40] The album's second single, an up-tempo track entitled "Can't Nobody", charted significantly lower in the US, but enjoyed top-twenty success in Australia and parts of Europe, where it became another top-five hit on the UK Singles Chart.^[41][26] The album's third and final single "Train on a Track" was featured on the soundtrack of the 2003 romantic comedy film Maid in Manhattan, but failed to chart or sell noticeably, except in the UK, where it became Rowland's fourth consecutive top-twenty entry.^[26]

After a three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Rowland rejoined Beyoncé Knowles and Michelle Williams for Destiny's Child's fourth studio album Destiny Fulfilled, released in November 2004.^[13] The album hit number two on the Billboard 200, and spawned "Lose My Breath", "Soldier", "Girl", and "Cater 2 U" as notable mainstream records.^[42] In support of the album, Destiny's Child embarked on their 2005 Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It world tour, which started in April and ran through September. During the Barcelona, Spain visit of the tour, the group announced their disbandment after the end of their final North American leg.^[13][43] In October 2005, the group released a compilation album, entitled #1's, including all of Destiny's Child's number-one hits and most of their well-known songs. The greatest hits collection also included three new tracks, including their final single "Stand Up for Love". In September 2005, Rowland was featured on American rapper Trina's single "Here We Go", the second single from her album Glamorest Life. The song peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and became another top-twenty entry in Finland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.^[44][26] On March 28, 2006, Destiny's Child reunited to accept a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[45] According to Time magazine, they were recognized as the world's best-selling female group of all time.^[46]

[edit] 2007–08: Ms. Kelly

Rowland in 2008

Rowland's second solo album Ms. Kelly was released in June 2007. Not as successful as its predecessor,^[47] the album produced the hit singles "Like This" and "Work". Originally entitled My Story, the album's first version was actually scheduled for a June 2006 release, but the singer, her management and Columbia Records decided to shelve the album at the last minute to re-work a version with a different vibe as the singer considered the final tracklisting "too full of midtempos and ballads."^[48][49] Rowland eventually consulted additional producers to collaborate on the album, renamed Ms. Kelly, including Billy Mann, Scott Storch, and Atlanta-based Polow da Don who contributed to "Like This", a collaboration with rapper Eve.^[50] A moderate success around the globe, the song reached the top-ten in Ireland and the UK, and the top-twenty in Australia and New Zealand.^[51][26] Upon its release, Ms. Kelly debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with moderately successful first week sales of 86,000 copies.^[52] Outside the US, the album widely failed to reprise the success of Simply Deep, barely reaching the top-forty on the majority of all charts it appeared on, except for the UK, where it opened at number 37.^[26]

Rowland had been working on the conception of the album on and off since 2004, with some of her early recordings — such as the Bryan Michael Cox-produced "Bad Habit" — even being used on the Destiny's Child's albums Destiny Fulfilled (2004) and Destiny's Child: Live in Atlanta (2006).^[49] The album's first draft, entitled My Story, saw her actually writing and recording with a wider range of well-known contemporary R&B producers and artists as she wanted to go "in the urban, more R&B route [in general]" with the album, involving Big Tank, Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Rich Harrison, Rodney Jerkins, and Robin Thicke.^[49] Female rappers Remy Ma and Shawnna also lent their voices to guest parts.^[49] Anxious to avoid hasty productions as on previous album Simply Deep, Rowland took a wider role in the production of the album: she co-wrote the majority of the songs and shared ideas in which one to produce. "I wrote a lot on this record [...] and it's especially from me [to my fans]," she said of the album. "It's more R&B [...] and it definitely has a feel-good vibe to it as well."^[49]

A few months before the scheduled release of My Story however, Rowland felt the album was not going into the direction she had previously envisioned, and thus, she asked to revamp the album.^[53] "It was basically a list of songs that I put together about the past three years of my life, with love and relationships," she said of the original track listing. "And I remember listening to the record, and I was just like, 'I don't want this to be too deep to where, you know, [I] lose people.' And the record was too full of midtempos and ballads, so I wanted to bring it up a little bit."^[48] Rowland eventually consulted new producers to collaborate on the album, including Mysto & Pizzi, Sean Garrett, Scott Storch, Polow da Don, and Eve.^[50]

In addition, the singer decided to rename the album. "I really put my heart and soul into this record," she said, "and not only am I excited that everyone's going to hear the music, I'm looking forward to people getting to hear the real me. That's the reason I called the album Ms. Kelly. Because the title is all about respect, being an adult and that's how I feel about my life, and my music."^[48] Rowland cited former bandmate Beyoncé Knowles, and singers Brandy and Whitney Houston as major inspirations while recording her album.^[48]

In continued support of the album, Rowland released the album cuts "Ghetto" and "Work" as singles, respectively. While the Snoop Dogg-featured "Ghetto" underperformed stateside, the latter became a top-ten hit in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in most European markets, including France, Italy, Switzerland and the UK.^[54][26] In 2008, a reissued version of the album, branded Ms. Kelly Deluxe, received a release. Its lead single is the previously unreleased Bobby Womack cover "Daylight", a collaboration with rapper Travie McCoy (of alternative rap group Gym Class Heroes)^[55] that reached the top-twenty of the UK Singles Chart.^[26] By April 2008, Ms. Kelly had managed to sell over 1.2 million copies worldwide.^[47] In October 2008, Rowland was featured on French singer Nâdiya's single "No Future in the Past".

[edit] 2009–11: New management, label, and Here I Am

French DJ David Guetta and Rowland performing at the Orange Rockcorps in London, England in 2009

In 2009, Rowland was featured on Italian singer Tiziano Ferro's single "Breathe Gentle", which was released on February 20, 2009. It reached the top ten of The Netherlands' Single Top 100 chart.^[56] On January 28, 2009, it was announced that Rowland and her manager Mathew Knowles had parted ways.^[57] She released a statement to the media, saying "Mathew Knowles has been a positive influence in my career. I have had great success under his guidance – both as a member of Destiny's Child and with my solo projects. Although we have decided to part ways professionally, the Knowles family and the entire Music World Entertainment team will always be my family."^[57] Then two months later, on March 31, 2009, Rowland issued a statement that she had also left her record label of 13 years, Columbia Records, to explore other ventures.^[58] She added that she "felt the need to explore new directions, new challenges, and new freedoms outside my comfort zone."^[58] Later in a 2010 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rowland stated that the decision to leave was not hers: the label ended her contract because her previous album Ms. Kelly was not commercially successful.^[59]