After a seven-year break, Hip Hop legend Nelly’s 'Black and White Ball' returned this weekend in St. Louis, MO, and Audacy's Princess Stormm was on hand to get a look at all of the incredible outfits and talk to the man himself about the impact the event has had on his hometown.
LISTEN NOW: Nelly's 'Black and White Ball' with Princess Stormm
Nelly was dressed to the nines at this year’s event held at the Four Seasons Hotel, wearing “a little bit of everything,” he tells Princess Stormm. “I kind of mixed and matched today... a little Balmain, Dolce, some Tom Ford.
Giving back to the St. Louis community is the reason for the entire night, and for Nelly, he says “It feels good to give back, in this instance anyway [because] we get a chance to celebrate something; Education, that I think we all -- in this city, whether you're Black or White -- you see as a viable necessity for what it is that we need to do in life. So when we get a chance to come here and we get to celebrate the only HBCU in our city, Harris Stowe [State University], and also a great foundation in Make A Wish. So, it's beautiful."
Having all eyes on St. Louis's growing entertainment scene "was a long time coming, and that's what I used to tell people,” Nelly explains. “I said, ‘Yo, just keep working everybody... Somebody showed me that we can make it and you keep doing that -- that's how you build. Because we all have dreams, but all of our dreams are slightly different. If all of our dreams are slightly different, it can't be one plan for all of the dreams. Everybody's got to work their own plan.”
Diving into a trending topic on social media, which ties in perfectly with the night's fashion theme, Princess Stormm needed to know if Nelly’s crew truly put the Nike “Air Force Ones” on the map. “I mean, I think in our area. You know, people in New York and L.A., people always been rocking Air Force Ones," he admits. "But I think we put the stamp on like them white on whites and things like that, only in our area because, you know, the only reason I was wearing them was because they didn't have no Reeboks up in New York. So I, I put those on.”
Rapper and actor Bow Wow was also in the building feeling relaxed in a custom outfit, taking time to appreciate his first time back in St. Louis since he took the stage on his 2022 Millennium Tour. “Now I get to kick back and just enjoy the festivities, enjoy the people and all the familiar faces, and enjoy the city of St. Louis,” he says. Rolling through in his own designed outfit, although showing some “Christian Loubes, you know, rare bottoms at the bottom of the feet,” he adds, “but me, I just keep it simple and clean.”
Amid the ongoing celebration of 50 years of Hip-Hop, actually meeting that milestone seems “crazy” to Bow Wow. “Even just for the culture to be standing here 50 years is dope,” he adds. “Hip-Hop came from the streets, and for us to still be here and be able to make a living and feed our families and create so many businesses even outside of just music.”
“You see what 50 [Cent] is doing in television; myself, movies and television, and now I'm in like every beauty supply store across the country with the do rags and the brushes and Walmart," he adds, "and everything that we just doing as a whole. I think that it's dope to play a key role or a part in it.”
Legendary producer Jermaine Dupree also dropped into the chat, adding his opinion on the Hip-Hop 50th imploring those looking to make their own mark in the genre to “really study the game and make sure you understand exactly what it is that you're getting into.” Looking ahead to new music, Dupri says he’s got a new single coming with Nelly, Ashanti, and Juicy J... “We got Usher records, we always got records coming.”
Don't miss Princess Stormm's full interviews above -- also featuring actor Isaac Keys and former Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith -- and stay tuned for even more conversations with your favorite stars and artists right here on Audacy.
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