Nelly and Niko play Youngstown
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Downtown Youngstown has a pair of concerts this weekend with Niko Moon at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre and Nelly and Ying Yang Twins at the Covelli Centre on Sunday.
Moon may sing about sippin' apple moonshine, and Nelly raps about apple bottom jeans, but the two acts don't seem to have much in common, at least on the surface.
But the answers to a couple questions might be a surprise:
Q: Which artist had the biggest country radio hit?
A: OK, it's not a shocker that the answer is Moon. After years of writing songs with Zac Brown (including the number one country hit "Keep Me in Mind" for the Zac Brown Band), Moon topped both Billboard's country airplay and hot country songs charts with "Good Time," the title track to his 2021 album.
But it was closer than one might expect. Nelly has been dabbling in the sounds of the South since his debut -- that 2000 album's title was "Country Grammar," after all.
Four years later, he partnered with country superstar Tim McGraw on "Over and Over," which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
About a decade later, he joined Florida Georgia Line for a remix of their song "Cruise," which also was a top 10 all-genre hit.
Q: Which artist had the highest charting country album?
A: Surprise, it's Nelly. "Heartland," his 2021 country-audience-courting EP, debuted at number seven on Billboard's country albums chart. Moon's "Good Time" peaked at number 12 on that chart.
Nelly has straddled multiple music genres throughout his career. In a 2024 interview with Riff Magazine, he said, “From the beginning, fans from all over accepted me. I would perform at a hip-hop event one night and then the next night it would be a country festival or county fair, and the fans from all genres of hip-hop, country and pop just embraced me. My fans have grown with me. They don't really care what genre you call the song, as long as it’s a good song."
Hip hop also has influenced Moon's music.
"In middle school, I started having my own opinions about everything -- Nirvana, Offspring, Green Day, Sister Hazel, Outkast, Tupac, Biggie. That drum and bass rhythm section of hip- hop, I just fell in love with. Didn't know what they were talking about, either, but I really loved the way the drums knocked me out," Moon has said.
Neither artist is relying on music as his sole source of income. Nelly started his own clothing line called -- what else? -- Apple Bottom Jeans and has licensing deals with such major companies as Budweiser and Burger King.
Moon has his own apparel brand, American Palm Co., and co-founded Happy Himalayan Water Company.
Both artists also have new music, although Moon is far more likely to be playing new songs this weekend. In July, Moon put out the 15-track collection "ROOTS," his fourth studio album.
Nelly has talked about a follow-up to his "Heartland" album called "Heartland 2.0," which will feature collaborations with female country artists, but no release date is set.
However, with about 20 top 40 hits, either as a solo or featured artist, Nelly shouldn't have trouble keeping the Covelli Centre bouncing.
If you go …
WHO: Nelly and Ying Yang Twins
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Covelli Centre, 229 E. Front St., Youngstown
HOW MUCH: Tickets range from $68.60 to $158.60 and are available at the arena's Southwoods Health box office and through Ticketmaster.
WHO: Niko Moon
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre, 201 S. Phelps St., Youngstown
HOW MUCH: Tickets range from $30.50 to $72.25 and are available through Ticketmaster.