#TBT: Nelly

The first time I learned about Nelly was in fourth grade when everyone in the class shared their favorite artist or band. Still caught in the powerful gravitational pull of Hybrid Theory, I chose Linkin Park. Some random kid chose Nelly. I went on to become best friends with that kid. Coincidence? Probably not.

From 2000 to 2003, Nelly's dominance was rivaled only by Jay Z and Eminem. Click through the image gallery to revisit 10 of his most memorable tracks from that era. 

"Ride Wit Me" has aged beautifully, perhaps because it evokes the inexorable feeling of driving with the windows down on a beautiful July afternoon. It is the Summer Days to Lil Rob's "Summer Nights."

The title track and lead single for Country Grammar captivated the nation. It even captivated Michael Jackson.

"I got a call from Michael Jackson... we was on our bus, I get on the phone and Michael Jackson is singing 'Country Grammar,'" Nelly recalled to Complex. "'Nelly, I love that song!' And I damn near crashed the bus."

"E.I."'s interpolation of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" encapsulates Nelly's broad appeal: sexual themes expressed in the plain, legible style of nursery rhymes and children's songs.

"Tip Drill" didn't appear on any of Nelly's albums (it appeared on his 2003 remix album Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention), but it remains cemented in his legacy for its unbelievably raunchy music video. Some have called it the "Venus de Milo of misogynistic rap videos." Countless rappers have endeavored to top it, none have succeeded.

After the success of Country Grammar, Nelly lent his clout to a pair of chart-topping singles in NSYNC's "Boyfriend" and Jagged Edge's "Where the Party At." Produced by Jermaine Dupri, who at this time was more or less tha god.

Once upon a time, no shoe on the planet was more in vogue than the Air Force One, "all-white, high-top, strap with the gum bottom." Get me two pair...

Nelly's "Dilemma" easily soared to #1 in 2002, but it lives on today for an unexpected reason: the "AAH" sound that appears throughout has become nearly as ubiquitous in the modern producer's soundboard as the 808 cowbell.

"Hot In Herre" lacks the booming 808s of today's bangers, but it remains a torrid club smash. Nelly's vocals here are pure flames and don't require much support.

As the "Pimp Juice" video illustrates, Nelly was born in the back of a pimp-mobile en route to the hospital. The track remains one of the best in Nelly's catalog, its slow-churning bass groove every bit as unhurried as Nelly's pimp walk.

If you ever doubted the power of Nelly, just know that Murphy Lee has a Grammy and #1 single.