Brass Knuckles (album)

Brass Knuckles is the fifth studio album by American rapper Nelly. It was released on September 16, 2008, through Derrty Entertainment and Universal Motown Records. For the project, Nelly worked with a wide range of producers and collaborators, including Tha Bizness, Droop-E, Jermaine Dupri, Sean Garrett, G Koop, Neff-U, The Neptunes, Polow da Don, and Wyshmaster. Guest vocalists on the album include Fergie, Usher, Ciara, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Ashanti, and LL Cool J.

Critics saw Brass Knuckles as a solid, well-produced pop-rap album with consistent highlights, but few groundbreaking moments, ultimately maintaining rather than elevating Nelly's status. It debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 83,717 copies, but quickly dropped off the chart and sold just over 223,000 copies by 2010. Although it was eventually certified gold, the album was significantly less successful than Nelly's previous releases, both in the United States and internationally.

"Wadsyaname," released in August 2007, was originally intended as the album's lead single but was primarily issued to fulfill Nelly's contract with Universal Motown and was later replaced by "Party People" amid the album's repeated delays. Further singles, including "Body on Me" with Akon and Ashanti, and Stepped on My J'z with Ciara and Dupri, were released in 2008, preceding the full album's September release. In 2008, Nelly embarked on The Brass Knuckles Tour in support of the album.