Nelly Joins Jelly Roll For Surprise Performance At The Grand Ole Opry House
The audience erupted with cheers when Jelly Roll shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen, Nelly!”
Jelly Roll, Nelly; Photos Courtesy TikTok
Jelly Roll surprised fans on Monday evening (Nov. 21) in Nashville when he invited Nelly to join him on stage at the Grand Ole Opry House for a performance of “Hot In Herre.”
The surprise moment took place during Jelly Roll’s set for The Big 98’s Friendsgiving concert. The newly crowned CMA New Artist of the Year kicked off the song on his own, singing the first verse and chorus solo. Moments later, much to the surprise of the audience, Jelly Roll shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen, Nelly!”
Performed “Hot In Herre”
Nelly proceeded to walk onto the stage of the Opry House, sporting leather overalls, a large diamond chain, and sunglasses. With what appeared to be a liquor bottle in his hand, the rapper took on the next verse on his own before Jelly Roll joined in.
@thatonetimei I think this was my favorite part of #BIG98Friendsgiving 😍🤩 @Jelly Roll @Nelly @The BIG 98 ♬ original sound – Melissa
In videos captured by fans and later shared to social media, the crowd can be heard screaming and singing along as he joined Jelly Roll on stage.
Following the performance, Nelly yelled, “Grand Ole Opry House…make some noise for my buddy Jelly Roll!”
The artists performed one of Nelly’s most iconic hits, “Hot In Herre.” This track was released by Nelly in 2002 and became the rapper’s first No.1 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, according to Stereogum.
Fans Are Begging The Artists To Collaborate
One glance at the comments on these posts proves that fans are itching to hear a collaboration between the two artists. “We need that Nelly & Jelly Roll collab ASAP,” one user wrote, while another shared, “A little Nelly & Jelly hell yea!”
Nelly is no stranger to collaborating with country music artists. In 2004, he collaborated with Tim McGraw on “Over and Over” and has since worked with artists such as Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown, Darius Rucker, and more. In 2021, he released Heartland, a country-influenced project. He told Forbes that this album was his way of saying thank you to the genre.
“Having knowledge that there are some people in this particular genre of music that are not as forthcoming of allowing other people to succeed in this music, I found it very necessary that I got a chance to celebrate this project and also work with as many African American country artists as I could putting this project together,” Nelly shared with the publication.
“Putting these brothers in position I thought that it was very necessary for me — if I was going to show my appreciation for how country music has allowed Nelly to be a part of their world ever since my first album came out — I thought it was only right that I had a chance to celebrate this project with these brothers.”
Jelly Roll Also Performed With Riley Green
In addition to sharing the stage with Nelly at The Big 98’s Friendsgiving concert, Jelly Roll also joined forces with Riley Green to perform their new collaboration, “Copenhagen In A Cadillac.” The track appears on Green’s new album, Ain’t My Last Rodeo.
The event, which benefitted St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, featured Jelly Roll and Green as well as Chris Janson and Anne Wilson.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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