Cornell Haynes Jr., more widely (and simply) known to the world as mononymous hip-hop hit maker Nelly, has worn many showbiz hats over his 25-plus-year career. Besides his chart-topping career as a musician, which has earned him two Grammys, the first in 2003 and the second in 2004, he’s appeared in a handful of films and TV shows, “CSI: NY” and “The Longest Yard” among them, and he waded in reality TV as a cast member of the mockumentary series “Real Husbands of Hollywood” before he starred in his own short-lived BET reality series “Nellyville.” The “Dilemma” and “Ride Wit Me” singer has also dabbled in apparel — he co-founded the Apple Bottoms denim brand, and last year he was the 3rd place finisher in the 29th season of “Dancing with the Stars.” His next album, the country-influenced “The Heartland,” which will include the already released “Lil Bit,” a collab with Florida Georgia Line, is expected out sometime this year.
What the entertainment industry veteran isn’t, however, is a real estate mogul: the 46-year-old rap star has listed a palatial half-renovated mansion on the semi-rural suburban outskirts of St. Louis as a short sale with an asking price of $599,000. Property records aren’t clear as to what exactly Nelly paid for the property in 2002 — records indicate he secured a mortgage against the hilltop spread of just over $1.5 million at the time of his purchase — and whatever he may still owe on the property after 18 years of ownership it is, apparently, less than the nearly $600,000 asking price.