Throughout her career, Taylor Swift has collaborated with artists across an impressive range of genres, including country, pop, indie, rock, R&B, and hip-hop. She has shared stages with rap stars such as T.I. and Nicki Minaj, while also recording songs with B.o.B. on “Both of Us” and Kendrick Lamar on the Katy Perry diss track “Bad Blood.” One of her most unexpected music-industry encounters involved 2000s hip-hop star Nelly, whom Swift reportedly paid $50,000 for a spontaneous, one-song performance during her 2011 “Speak Now” tour.
During an appearance on iHeart Radio’s “The Breakfast Club” alongside his wife, Ashanti, Nelly recalled receiving a call from Swift. She wanted to know whether he could travel to Houston and perform his hit “Hot In Herre” for her and her friends. “Listen, me and my friends, we made a routine to ‘Hot in Herre’ last night. … I want to ask you a really big favor,” Nelly remembered Swift saying. She then explained that she had shows in Houston the next day and the day after and asked, “Can you come down in Houston and perform?”
Swift reportedly warned Nelly that her budget was limited, but she still offered to fly him from St. Louis, put him up in a presidential suite at the Four Seasons, and pay him $50,000. “I don’t want to disrespect you. I don’t really have a budget like that,” Nelly recalled her saying. “We only have like 50,000, you know.” He joked that she could put the payment in a McDonald’s bag, and she did. “But I would’ve did [sic] it for free,” added Nelly, who has faced trouble with the IRS. “It was hilarious. I’ll take it.”
Nelly is a proud Swiftie
Swift’s plan to bring Nelly in for a last-minute “Hot In Herre” routine with her friends never came together. Instead, the two performed his song “Just A Dream” during one of her “Speak Now” concerts in Houston. Their onstage collaborations continued: In 2013, Nelly made a surprise appearance at a “Red” tour show and performed “Hey Porsche” with Swift. They reunited in Nelly’s hometown of St. Louis during Swift’s 2015 “1989” World Tour, when they finally performed “Hot In Herre” alongside the Haim sisters.
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Swift and Nelly have remained close friends ever since. “Oh, I’m a Swiftie. Hell yeah,” Nelly said on “The Breakfast Club” when asked whether he considers himself a major Swift fan. The rapper was also among the thousands of guests at Swift’s lavish Madison Square Garden wedding to Travis Kelce, attending with Ashanti. During the interview, he defended the star-studded guest list, which brought together Hollywood A-listers and some of the music industry’s biggest names.
“I think people forget how long she’s actually been in this business. She’s been in this business for a long time, man. And at the top of it, when you’re like that, you make a lot of friends,” Nelly said. He and Ashanti had previously described the wedding as “magical” during an appearance on “Good Day New York,” saying they had a wonderful time. “It was great,” Nelly recalled, according to People. He also praised Kelce, calling him “a cool guy too. And he’s big, so.”