Hot in Herre


"Hot in Herre" is a song by American rapper Nelly, released as the lead single from his second album, Nellyville. It was released on May 7, 2002, by Universal Records. It was written by Nelly, Charles Brown, and the producers the Neptunes. It features additional vocals by former labelmate Dani Stevenson and incorporates Chuck Brown's 1979 single "Bustin' Loose", Neil Young's 1972 song "There's a World", and Nancy Sinatra's 1966 cover of the Rolling Stones' "As Tears Go By". "Hot in Herre" is widely considered to be Nelly's signature song, along with the worldwide hit "Dilemma".

Awards and accolades

On April 15, 2002, "Hot in Herre" received over 760,000 streams on AOL Music's First Listen feature following its debut, setting a record for the website. The song was the inaugural winner of the Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards on February 23, 2003. In 2008, it was ranked number 36 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".

Commercial performance

The song became Nelly's first number-one hit on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Singles Chart. It peaked at number four in the United Kingdom and reached the top 10 in several other international markets. The song finished 2002 at number three on the Hot 100's year-end chart.

The 2014 Hot 105.7 radio stunt

In 2014, the San Francisco radio station Hot 105.7 played the song on a continuous loop to promote its change from a Latin music station. The marathon lasted 72 hours and made worldwide headlines.

Music video

There were two music videos made for the single "Hot in Herre"; the rarely-seen original, which takes place at the iconic Gateway Arch, features cameo appearances by actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer, NBA player Carmelo Anthony, and NFL players T. J. Duckett and Julius Peppers. This version was broadcast heavily on MTV Europe. The second, alternative video was broadcast the most in North America on BET, MTV, Canada's MuchMusic, and on VH1; this version is set in a nightclub, and features a D.J., portrayed also by Cedric the Entertainer, who pauses the song abruptly to announce a “fire” having started on the dancefloor, from the intensity of the music and sexy dancing. The crowd, indifferent, begins chanting the chorus from Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three's "The Roof Is on Fire", to express their total dedication to partying; shrugging it off, the D.J. gives up and goes back to mixing. Nelly's love interest in the video was portrayed by Pasha Bleasdell. Bleasdell died of brain cancer on June 4, 2022, at the age of 38.

Track listings

US CD single
  1. "Hot in Herre" – 3:50
  2. "Hot in Herre" – 3:50
US 12-inch single
Canadian and European CD single
  1. "Hot in Herre" – 3:50
  2. "Hot in Herre" – 3:58
UK CD and cassette single
  1. "Hot in Herre" – 3:50
  2. "Hot in Herre" – 3:58
  3. "Not in My House" – 2:58
UK 12-inch single
Australasian CD single 1
  1. "Hot in Herre" – 3:50
  2. "Hot in Herre" – 4:57
  3. "Hot in Herre" – 3:51
  4. "Kings Highway" – 5:31
Australasian CD single 2
  1. "Hot in Herre" – 3:50
  2. "Hot in Herre" – 3:58
  3. "Not in My House" – 2:58
  4. "Hot in Herre" – 3:36

    Charts

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Canada Digital Song Sales 29

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history