Review: Nelly and old-school hip-hop rules at the State Fair grandstand

Do Minnesotans love St. Louis rapper Nelly or do we just have a burgeoning fondness for nostalgic hip-hop?

Whatever the case, a sell-out crowd of 14,018 showed up to the State Fair grandstand on Saturday night — this year’s biggest concert crowd.

That’s impressive considering that Nelly performed after a Twins-Pirates game less than two months ago, on July 11, at Target Field, helping the fading ballclub draw a remarkable 40,100 fans, compared to their seasonal average of just 22,679.

Yes, Nelly is a draw. And so is old-school hip-hop as Ludacris and T-Pain proved with 2024’s biggest grandstand crowd, a sellout of 14,005. The vintage hip-hop parade has continued this year with Atmosphere, the veteran Twin Cities hip-hop heroes, pulling 12,036 fans on Aug. 30 on a throw-back bill that included Cypress Hill, the Pharcyde and Lupe Fiasco.

Nelly came with his own crew of ‘00s hitmakers on the Where the Party At Tour — Ja Rule, Mya and Ying Yang Twins.

The scene: The fans were up and partying from the first high-energy blast of the Ying Yang Twins to Nelly’s last jam 3 ½ hours later. Things may have dipped for a moment during Mya’s set of often chill R&B but this crowd came to party and they recognized and reacted — whether dancing, singing along or waving their hands in the air like just they didn’t care — to almost every selection by Nelly, Ja Rule and the Ying Yang Twins.

The music: This fairly seamless concert could easily have been someone’s playlist of ‘00s hip-hop and R&B. Nelly, 50, brought the St. Louis bounce, with its mix of melodies and sing-songy, almost nursery rhyme-ish raps. Ja Rule, 49, showed how a New Yorker blended gangsta sensibilities with pop and R&B instincts while Ying Yang Twins pumped up the energy with their Atlanta crunk. Grammy-winner Mya, 45, showcased her range of vocal sounds from the fiery “Lady Marmalade” to the slow jam “My Love Is Like…Wo.”

As for Nelly, dressed in a Minnesota State Fair tee and camo shorts, he remains an enduringly charismatic rapper with a not-conceited Midwestern personality.

Coolest moments: Nelly threw down with a strikingly fast flow, taking verses faster than on his recordings, lighting up the night with 2000’s “Country Grammar” for the Day 1 fans and 2002’s “Hot in Herre,” his Grammy-winning first No. 1 hit that is such an infectious tune that you can hear it nightly on the fairgrounds at the Corn Roast dance and live performed by Scotty & the Prerogative at Café Caribe.

Low points: When Nelly tried to sing/scream the lyrics to “Over and Over,” his pop/country crossover hit with Tim McGraw, it reminded everybody that he’s a rapper, not a singer. Also, why did Nelly offer a taste of the Lil Jon hit “Get Low” when the Ying Yang Twins, who are featured on the recording, had performed it earlier? One other question: Why did Ja Rule have flames and fog blasters but the headliner didn’t?

Best banter: While a sincere Nelly said his heart goes out to all the people in Minneapolis touched by tragedy, Kaine of the Ying Yang Twins best summed up the night: “We might be old school but we ain’t dead.”