Nelly‘s recent concert at the University of Florida is going viral for all the wrong reasons.
The show organized by the school’s student government went down last Tuesday (April 9), with free entry granted to any student with a school ID. Unfortunately it seems as though not many people showed up, as a frequently-reposted video from the event shows some attendees near the stage but mostly vacant house seats for the hour-long performance.
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According to local Florida publication WUFT, the show was delayed an hour because of the low turnout, but the Country Grammar rapper eventually took the stage at 8pm and performed his full set with his brother (and hype man) City Spud by his side.
The publication noted that by the time the show finally started, there was “a larger crowd” on the floor but, as can be seen in the Tik Tok below, “the arena seats were mostly empty.”
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It seems as though not many students were very familiar with him, as the publication spoke to a few attendees who merely went because it was a free show.
“I like concerts a lot and I write a list of people I’ve seen live, so why not add another,” one person told them, while they spoke to another who “originally did not know who Nelly was, but once her friend explained, she was excited to attend.”
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The age range for college students is 18 to around 22, so many of them weren’t even born when Nelly was in his prime in the early 2000s.
Check the full concert, and the viral video of the show, below.
@barstoolsports Whole arena open for Nelly 😭 @Million Dollaz ♬ original sound – Barstool Sports
Regardless whether UF students think so, Nelly recently claimed that the era of Hip Hop he emerged remains the “toughest ever” — by one metric, at least.
During an appearance on LeBron James‘ The Shop, the St. Louis rap legend reflected on his breakthrough success in the 2000s and the challenges he faced in trying to stand out in a crowded marketplace full of bona fide stars.
Discussing the Grammys’ hit-and-miss success when it comes to awarding rappers, he said: “Country Grammar sold five million and I didn’t even get nominated as Best New Artist! Because my album came out in 2000 so I wasn’t even on the ballot. In 2001, the great, talented, well-deserving Miss Alicia Keys won — and she should have won.”
He then admitted that he had a chip on his shoulder coming from St. Louis when bigger cities like New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta were dominating Hip Hop at the time.
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“You gotta understand, my era of music was the toughest era in Hip Hop ever. Ever!” he declared. “When I put out songs, I had to go against DMX, JAY-Z, Eminem, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Luda. All of us are fighting for one spot! So from ’99 to 2008-2010, it’s the hardest era ever to get records.”
