"Grillz" is a song by American rapper

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

featuring fellow American rappers

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, or the Ice Man, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse, and has released several albums under the label and ...

, Ali & Gipp, and uncredited vocals from American singer Brandi Williams (of the group Blaque). The song was written by Nelly,

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

, Paul Wall, Ali, Gipp and James Phillips; it contains samples of

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...

's "

Soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

", written by

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most culturally significant figu ...

, Kelendria Rowland, Tenitra Williams, Garrett Hamler, and Rich Harrison; it also contains samples of "Left Me Lonely" by

MC Shan Shawn Moltke (born September 6, 1965), better known by his stage name MC Shan, is an American rapper, singer and record producer from New York City. He is best known for his guest appearance and production on Canadian singer Snow's 1992 single " ...

. Production was handled by Dupri. Following its release, it topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top 20 in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.

Awards

In 2007, the song was nominated for Best Rap Performance as a Duo or Group at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, losing to

Chamillionaire Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire (), is an American rapper. He began his career in Houston's hip hop scene in the late 1990s. He was briefly signed with the local record label Swishah ...

's " Ridin'".

Chart performance

"Grillz" reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It stayed on the top spot for two consecutive weeks. At the end of the year it was ranked number 12 on the ''Billboard'' 2006 year-end chart. The

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) certified "Grillz" platinum for 1,000,000 digital sales and for 1,000,000 mastertone sales.

Music video

The song's

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

, directed by Fat Cats, was released in 2005. Jermaine Dupri,

Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), known professionally as Big Boi, is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta, he was one half of the Southern hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper ...

Iamsu! Sudan Ameer Williams (born November 16, 1989), better known by his stage name Iamsu! (stylized as IamSu! or IAMSU!), is an American rapper and record producer from Richmond, California. He is the co-founder and lead member of the hip-hop group ...

, Avery Storm, St. Lunatics, Taylor Made, Jung Tru, Chocolate Tai, and Johnny Dang make cameo appearances throughout the video.

Track listings

US 12-inch single # "Grillz" (dirty version) – 4:30 # "Grillz" (clean version) – 4:30 # "Grillz" (instrumental) – 4:30 UK, European, and Australasian CD single # "Grillz" (radio edit) – 3:47 # "Grillz" (explicit) – 4:30 # "Tired" (album version explicit featuring Avery Storm) – 3:17 # "Grillz" (video) UK 12-inch single :A1. "Grillz" (radio edit) – 3:47 :A2. "Grillz" (explicit) – 4:30 :B1. "Grillz" (instrumental) – 4:30 :B2. "Tired" (album version explicit featuring Avery Storm) – 3:17

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2005 songs 2005 singles 2006 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Nelly songs Paul Wall songs Song recordings produced by Jermaine Dupri Songs written by Beyoncé Songs written by Jermaine Dupri Songs written by Kelly Rowland Songs written by LRoc Songs written by Michelle Williams (singer) Songs written by Nelly Songs written by Paul Wall Songs written by Rich Harrison Songs written by Sean Garrett Songs written by T.I. Universal Records singles