After much delay, St. Louis’ best finally gave New York’s industry audience a taste of his upcoming album, Brass Knuckles, set to drop September 16th. In an intimate location that resembled a glorified chop shop on Hudson Street, Nelly—tequila in hand—went track for track, unraveling a story behind how every one came to life. As guests sipped on Don Julio spiked punch, they gathered around the DJ booth to bounce to Nelly’s latest single, “Body On Me,” and to find out if the rest is just as hot.

Bursting at the seams with all-star cameos (Akon, Snoop Dogg, Chuck D, Pharrell, and of course, Ashanti, to name a few), the album was almost overwhelming. We actually think that the songs where he’s left to his own devices and playful hooks are the ones that shine, but let’s just see what the charts say…

Check out the official tracklisting for Brass Knuckles and pick up Rap-Up‘s Summer 2008 issue with Nelly on the cover, on sale now.

–Rajul Punjabi in New York