In 2002, Nelly started working on Nellyville, aiming to duplicate the success of his first album “Country Grammar.”
When Nelly heard his producer’s beat on the sampling of Patti Labelle’s “Love, Need, and Want You,” he was “infatuated.” He immediately started writing lyrics to the track. Although Nellyville was only 3 days away from being printed, Nelly felt that something was still missing and wanted to include the song.
When he first recorded the single, he knew that he needed a female vocalist on the track. In an interview with Billboard magazine, Nelly credits his sister, who has since passed away, with recommending Kelly for the track. Having met Kelly on the Total Request Live tour, he couldn’t agree more.
The timing worked perfectly. In 2001, Destiny’s Child went on hiatus to pursue solo projects. As Kelly recounts in MTV’s “Making Dilemma,” Nelly called up her manager to introduce the project. The single would become the biggest hit of Kelly’s career.
The Music Video
Okay, we can’t talk about the music video without mentioning the infamous scene of Kelly texting Nelly from a Nokia Excel spreadsheet!
“Dilemma” was filmed over 2 days in late August with cameos from Patti Labelle who plays Kelly’s disapproving mother, and then-NBA star Larry Hughes, who stars as Kelly’s boyfriend. Basketball Wives’ Star Sundy Carter also makes a brief appearance as Nelly’s girlfriend. Director Benny Boom fashions the city of Nellyville on Colonial Street, a locale that some of you Desperate Housewives fans would later recognize as Wisteria Lane!
Critical and Commercial Reception
In 2021, the music video reached 1 billion views on YouTube with Nelly thanking fans in a statement. It’s only the third hip hop music video in history released before YouTube’s inception to accomplish this feat.
The song was a commercial and critical success with even one critic hailing it as the “best R&B duet of the modern age.” “Dilemma” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 after 4 weeks, pushing Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” to number 2. Nelly is only one of few artists to succeed himself on the charts! On its decade-end list from 2000-2009, Billboard ranked the song number 11 . As of February 2021, the single has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide!
Conclusion
“Dilemma” left an indelible mark on hip hop and RnB culture. It transformed Kelly’s solo career away from Destiny’s Child and served as one of several Nelly hits to come.