Nelly - Dilemma ft. Kelly Rowland

Step back to 2002, when St. Louis rap titan Nelly and Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland forged pure pop-R&B alchemy with "Dilemma." Built upon a soulful sample of Patti LaBelle’s 1983 hit "Love, Need and Want You"—with LaBelle herself making a fabulous cameo as Kelly’s overprotective mother—this track shattered chart records, reigning atop the Billboard Hot 100 for ten glorious weeks.

Beyond its smooth, irresistible melodies, the music video birthed an immortal piece of internet lore: Kelly frantically texting Nelly using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet on a Nokia device! While the song originally ruled 2002, its legacy entered the modern digital vault in 2009—a landmark year defined by Barack Obama’s historic inauguration, the cinematic phenomenon of Avatar, and BlackBerrys dominating pop culture. It was in 2009 that the video was officially archived on YouTube, allowing a global audience to forever relive this absolute pinnacle of early-2000s crossover magic in all its nostalgic, spreadsheet-messaging glory.

• Chart Legacy & Milestones: Released in 2002, "Dilemma" spent 10 non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and officially surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube.
• Nelly's Catalog Sale & Net Worth: Nelly's net worth is estimated at $70 million, bolstered by a July 2023 deal in which he sold a 50% stake in his music catalog to HarbourView Equity Partners for $50 million.
• Nelly's Current Status & Touring: Nelly recently welcomed a child with his wife, Ashanti, in 2024 and continues to actively tour worldwide, including major festival slots and co-headlining dates alongside artists like Janet Jackson.
• Kelly Rowland's Net Worth & Recent Projects: Kelly Rowland holds an estimated net worth of $12 million to $20 million, recently starring in and executive producing the 2024 Netflix film Mea Culpa while maintaining active roles in fashion, television, and music.