
Source: Leon Bennett/2021 BET Hip Hop Awards / Getty
Nelly’s resume is often downplayed but his impact can’t be denied. He says the era he thrived in was the hardest era of Hip-Hop ever.
He would go on to claim that the competitive landscape around that time was the toughest it has ever been. “When I put out songs, I had to go against DMX, JAY-Z, Eminem, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, [Ludacris] he began. “All of us are fighting for one spot. So from ’99 to 2008 – 2010, it’s the hardest ever to get records.” Naturally his statement got the cast and guests to start thinking about that distinct period in Rap and while everyone on the set didn’t agree everyone understood why the “Ride Wit Me” rapper felt like this.
You can watch the group discussion between Nelly, Cedric The Entertainer, Maverick Carter, Paul Rivera, and Becky Hammon below about Rap’s hardest era starting at the 18 minute mark.