As you may know by now, last weekend a Bay Area radio station played Hot in Herre by Nelly in a continuous loop. How did they decide which song? How did they  decide which Nelly song? This got me thinking about which Nelly song is the best Nelly song. As someone who was attending middle school dances at the peak of the St. Lunatics, I feel it my duty and privilege to do the honors.

Honorable Mentions: Tip Drill, #1, Batter Up, Here Comes the Boom, Nelly playing in celebrity all star games

10. Just a Dream

The only song on this list that came out post-peak. This is only in the top ten because Nelly starts to sing in this song.

9. Shake Ya Tailfeather

My friend Kyle and I insisted our AYSO soccer team had to be named The Bad Boys because of this music video. That’s a true story.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkXrEUeULmc]

8. Over and Over

Over and Over is a Nelly’s heatcheck.

7. Grillz

Nelly + Houston

6. Air Force Ones

Give me two perrrs

5. Dilemma

Every rapper needs an R&B collab, you just hope it works out well. Dilemma is about as good as it gets.

4. Ride With Me

This is pantheon Nelly now. Ride With Me is amazing, but you can’t put it on a playlist more than one time.

3. Hot in Herre

There may be no more distinct club anthem of the early aughts than Hot in Herre. It will never go away.

2. Country Grammar

When you say hear someone say that a bar played old-school hip hop, it means they played Country Grammar.

1. EI

EI is the best Nelly song. It’s got everything that made him great: a beat to bounce with, a catchy opening line and a chorus that is as repeatable as it is sexually explicit.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNaMR8AyeWc]