Nelly made a special guest appearance at Machine Gun Kelly’s show at FWD Day + Nightclub in Cleveland on Saturday night, days after his arrest at a casino near his hometown of St. Louis.
The 49-year-old Hot In Herre rapper was seen onstage alongside MGK, whose full name is Colson Baker, at a memorial service in Cleveland to honor the 34-year-old musician.
“Nelly just showed off Air Force Ones at our party wtffffffff,” Machine Gun Kelly tweeted on Saturday. “I should have worn all white and added the thick colored laces.”
Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., performed two of his most famous songs at the show: “Air Force Ones” from 2002 and “Grillz” from 2005.
MGK was seen recording the three-time Grammy winner on his phone during the collaboration in his hometown.
Nelly, 49, made a guest appearance on Machine Gun Kelly’s show at FWD Day + Nightclub in Cleveland on Saturday night, days after his arrest at a casino near his hometown of St. Louis.
The 34-year-old musician welcomed the famous rapper on stage during a show in memory of Machine Gun Kelly in Cleveland
The Country Grammar (Hot S***) artist wore a baseball cap with a black top, white shirt and camouflage pants during his performance. He accessorized with sunglasses, a necklace and earrings.
The Bloody Valentine actor wore a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey, baggy white pants and sunglasses at the show.
The collaboration came just days after Nelly was arrested early Wednesday at a St. Louis-area casino. The Missouri Highway Patrol said an officer found four illegal ecstasy pills on him.
The rapper’s lawyer said an “overzealous” officer targeted him and conducted an improper search.
The arrest took place at about 4:45 a.m. Nelly was detained by police in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and then released, the patrol said in a brief online report.
The St. Louis suburb is home to the Hollywood Casino and Hotel, and Nelly’s attorney Scott Rosenblum said in a statement Wednesday night that the rapper, who grew up in the area, visits it frequently.
Online Missouri court records show Nelly was charged with driving without proper proof of insurance in Maryland Heights in June 2018. A judge issued an arrest warrant in December 2023, which has not yet been issued.
Rosenblum said Nelly had won several casino jackpots and when he tried to collect them, the officer who would have been monitoring the transaction “unnecessarily” conducted a search warrant.
The Country Grammar (Hot S***) artist wore a baseball cap, black top, white shirt and camouflage pants during his performance. He accessorized with sunglasses, a necklace and earrings.
The Bloody Valentine actor wore a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey, baggy white pants and sunglasses at the show.
MGK mentioned Nelly’s appearance at his show on X/Twitter on Sunday
When the officer found the open warrant, he put Nelly’s hands behind his back and “felt compelled” to “lead him through the casino in front of the other customers,” Rosenblum said.
Nelly’s lawyer described what the officer found as “alleged ecstasy” and said the officer did not have sufficient reason to search her.
Nelly was not informed about the arrest warrant and knew nothing about it, said Rosenblum.
“I am 100 percent confident that this case will go nowhere,” Rosenblum said. “And we will demand an investigation into the conduct of this officer.”
Rosenblum said that under similar circumstances, “any other citizen would have been asked to take care of it and would have been able to move on.”
Known for hits such as Hot in Hermit and Just A Dream, Nelly has had four number one hits and received nine Billboard Music Awards. He recently completed a series of performances with Janet Jackson as a special guest on her tour.
He won Grammy Awards for Best Rap/Song Collaboration and Best Male Solo Rap Performance in 2002, and his album Nellyville was nominated for both Best Rap Album and Album of the Year that same year.
The following year, he also won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for Shake Ya Tailfeather.
Nelly’s attorney Scott Rosenblum denies the 49-year-old rapper’s arrest on Wednesday for alleged drug possession and says he is 100 percent “confident this case isn’t going anywhere”; pictured in his mug shot from the Maryland Heights Police Department
The three-time Grammy winner was photographed at the Grammys in LA last year
In addition to his career as a musician, Nelly has appeared in numerous films and television series, including the sports film “The Last Place” and a BET reality series with his family. In April, the artist announced his engagement to singer and actress Ashanti and the couple is expecting a baby.
In April 2015, Nelly was arrested in Tennessee and charged with drug offenses after a bus he was traveling in was stopped by the Tennessee Highway Patrol east of Nashville.
He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was able to have his record expunged after less than a year of probation.
Nelly was arrested in Auburn, Washington, south of Seattle, in October 2017 after a woman alleged he sexually assaulted her on his tour bus. Rosenblum said at the time that the allegations were fabricated.
The woman sued Nelly, who countersued, and they settled their legal claims in September 2018.
