American Music Awards: Nelly Performs the Night Before ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Finals

Nelly brought it at the 2020 American Music Awards Sunday while celebrating the 20th anniversary of his diamond-certified studio debut album Country Grammar with a high-energy medley of some of his early hits, including “Country Grammar,” “E.I.,” and “Ride Wit Me.” Nelly was joined by fellow rapper City Spud during Sunday’s performance, shouting out his hometown of St. Louis as he relived the early successes of his career.

The performance comes just one day ahead of Nelly competing in the Dancing With the Stars Season 29 finale with pro partner Daniella Karagach, as well as the other Final Four couples: Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson; Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev; and Justina Machado and Sasha Farber. The teams will dance two final performances, one of which has the dancers revisiting a favorite routine from earlier in the season and the second of which allows them to show their individuality with a freestyle routine. For Nelly and Karagach, they will give their samba to “Rhythm of the Night” a second go, and then will strut their stuff in the freestyle to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” and Notorious B.I.G’s “Hypnotize.”

Going from rapping to dancing has been quite the journey for Nelly, who earned his first perfect score during last week’s semifinals, beating out partners Skai Jackson and Alan Bersten as well as Johnny Weir and Britt Stewart for a place in the finals. “This is my first time here so I’m unaware of how things go. It’s not like they’re giving us the numbers on voting. You take it at face value,” Nelly told TV Insider of who he thought would take home the Mirrorball Trophy earlier this month. “However, I’ve seen that each night it’s somebody different [who’s on top] and each week, different people show different skills. Some people shine on certain nights and with certain dances. So, yes, I think it’s wide open.”

Being paired with a first-season pro has been a “bonus,” Nelly continued, “It makes us work that much harder. She wants us to do great, but this is a world I’m unfamiliar with. I don’t want to embarrass myself!” Going from the hip-hop and rap world to Dancing With the Stars has introduced a whole new realm to his work, which Nelly added was a blessing. “I have had a diverse fan base since I’ve been in this game. I truly treasure that and I don’t take it for granted, because it allows me to try new things and think outside the box,” he said. The Dancing With the Stars Season 29 finale airs Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.