Nelly and Ginuwine to perform in niles

The St. Louis-based performer hasn't forgotten his roots.
By JOHN PATRICK GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Nelly's credentials, like his rap style, come fast and furious.
His two albums have sold more than 8 million copies, while singles such as "Hot in Herre" have become party anthems across the world. He's also earned two Grammy awards.
While he hasn't changed the artistic direction of hip-hop, Nelly has developed a party-friendly style that quickly made him a mainstream success and broke him out of the regional notoriety he developed around his St. Louis area home base.
Nelly will celebrate his current headliner status Sunday night at Cafaro Field in Niles. Opening act Ginuwine was added to the lineup earlier this week. New R & amp;B-soul singer Calvin Richardson also will perform.
In a Rolling Stone interview conducted in conjunction with his being named among the "People of 2002," he said, "People have enough to think about right now. I'm just trying to free their minds and have [a] little fun with it. I know you got your own problems; I got my own problems. Let's think of something else for a change."
Influences
Since he came upon the scene in 2000 with "Country Grammar," a track that you couldn't get out of your head unless you tried brain surgery, Nelly introduced to the music world a Midwestern style that brought together influences from the genre's East Coast and West Coast.
Not forgetting his background, he's recorded and toured with his former group, St. Lunatics. His Derrty Entertainment record label will release "Murphy's Law" by the youngest Lunatic, Murphy Lee in September.
His sophomore effort, "Nellyville," outsold its predecessor, thanks to "Hot in Herre," which has even been covered by jam band Widespread Panic.
Other interests
Nelly hasn't merely sat back and counted all the dead presidents coming into his bank account. Not only has he developed a greater claim within the pop market via guest appearances (Kelly Rowland of Destiny Child's hit single "Dilemma"), but he's used his current heat as an artist to form other business ventures.
Like other hip-hop artists, he's produced a line of clothing. For men, there's the Vokal line. For the opposite sex, there will be the forthcoming Apple Bottoms. Nelly also joined forces with Nike to produce the limited edition Air Derrty line of shoe. Proceeds will go to 4Sho4Kids, a nonprofit foundation that aids children with development disabilities.
Because of his sister's battle with leukemia, he established Jes Us 4 Jackie, which raises money and awareness for the National Marrow Donor Program Registry.