This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
“I done got so cocky I took that Band-Aid off,” says Nelly. If only he had stopped there. But no — the St. Louis rapper had to go and get rid of most of his self-restraint too.
As a result, he has apparently fallen victim to the mistaken belief that every syllable that issues from his blunthole is a brilliant bon mot that must be preserved for posterity. And thus we have the fraternal-twin conceits Sweat and Suit, two simultaneously issued disc presumably designed to showcase both halves of Nelly’s massive artistic personality. To wit: Sweat is upbeat, nasty and funky, while Suit is more soulful, silky and refined. Colour me fascinated.
Naturally, there are bound to be some strong cuts in this 105-minute set. The first half of Sweat — when Nelly teams with pop provocateur Christina Aguilera for the Superfly-sampled groove of Tilt Ya Head Back and enlists Stephen Marley on the reggae-tinged River Don’t Runnn — is solid. Suit’s N Dey Say, which samples Spandau Ballet’s True, is also worth a listen.
But for the most part, the rest of these 24 cuts are disappointingly interchangable, easily forgettable trifles pieced together from the usual bumptious Dirrty South beats and Nelly’s tangy sing-song rhymes. Hot in Herre? Not in herre, baby. It’s gonna take more than a Band-Aid to cover up this boo-boo.
