Nelly performs at Outside Lands in San Francisco on Oct. 31, 2021. Adam Pardee/STAFF.

Nelly might have sold half his music catalog last summer, but the rapper has more new music up his sleeve. This year he also has plenty of performing in store. Before releasing his new album, Heartland 2, the St. Louis rapper appeared with his fiancé, Ashanti (the two are also expecting), on a new Jermaine Dupri track.

“We are excited to work it all together,” he said over email.

Nelly will be coming to BottleRock Napa Valley this month. He’ll also join Janet Jackson on a lengthy arena tour this summer. The power combo will be coming through Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center on June 11 and San Francisco’s Chase Center the following day.

The new album, a follow-up to 2021 country crossover Heartland, follows the same country concept, but with the caveat that all of his collaborators this time are female artists.

“I’m confident it will be crazy; the women don’t play!” Nelly said. “I didn’t want to leave out any country fans, so we have to come back and kill it with the ladies.”

Ahead of BottleRock, Nelly told us about the new album, how he made the decision to part with a chunk of his music catalog and what’s next.

RIFF: Why did you break Heartland into two parts, with male collaborators on the first half and female artists on the second?

Nelly: I think it was just more of a natural progression. Things just lined up the way they did with the artists schedules and suddenly it was male heavy so we decided to do it this way and come back with a second album with the ladies.

What have you learned from working on these albums and your overall dip into the country pool?

Nelly: Ya know, 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 its a good song! Again, it does not go unnoticed or unappreciated how supportive my fans are.

You‘ve talked about creating music that people can relate to; is one of the goals for Heartland to create something that relates to a wider demographic?

Nelly: I don’t go about music that calculated. Of course it is great when a song crosses genres or generations, but I set out to do music my way, songs that I love and that I think will excite my fans. When you put out a great song, my fans jump all in and of course the bigger it gets, that’s great. But [I] go about it more genuinely, looking for something original, something bangin’, that people will love in their car, love in the club; just jam out to.

You and Ashanti worked on a track together for the first times since 2008 on Jermain Dupri’s “This Lil’ Game We Play.” Do you two have any other projects you’re working on together?

Nelly: Time will tell, no secret telling here.

Is there anything else you have coming up this year that fans should know about?

Nelly: MoShine is my new moonshine that everyone over 21 needs to check out! I’m really excited about this product. I’m also launching a new charitable endeavor called 314 Education, with details coming and a few big announcements planned for this year.

Last summer you sold your music catalog to a private equity form for a reported $50 million. Was it difficult to part with it?

Nelly: I am very fortunate to have partners that have a great vision for my music. I sold a portion of my catalog, so it’s definitely a partnership that is designed to get the music out in innovative ways so even more people enjoy Nelly!

Your love of sneakers is well documented, do you have any other hobbies or interests that people might not be aware of?

Nelly: I’m we very interested in cars. … You may have seen I got a special dream car for my birthday. I think it is also pretty well known how much I love sports. I’m not sure if people know that I’m as into fashion, watches and sunglasses as I am.

What’s it like to have such a dedicated fanbase that’s grown up with you and your music?

Nelly: I feel honored to have fans that have rocked with me since the beginning and many of those fans have introduced their kids to Nelly. It is a true blessing to have the career like I have had over these years and having the most loyal fans possible.

Have you ever spent time in Napa before? If so, what do you remember from your time out here?

Nelly: I remember the beautiful views and small towns are very special with the backdrop of the big cities close by.

Editor Roman Gokhman contributed to this story.