Nelly & Kelly Rowland, Dilemma | Dazzling Duets

In the 27^th edition of Dazzling Duets (2025), Nelly and Kelly Rowland collaborate on the Grammy-winning 2002 gem, “Dilemma.”

Sometimes, two is better than one! That is the case when it comes to Dazzling Duets! On Dazzling Duets, we highlight ear-catching songs performed by two artists collaborating. These duets can be from any musical style, making Dazzling Duets a flexible, versatile column on The Musical Hype. In the 27^th edition of Dazzling Duets (2025), Nelly and Kelly Rowland collaborate on “Dilemma”. Let the dazzle begin!

Oh, snap! St. Louis rapper Nelly (Cornell Haynes Jr., b. 1974) and contemporary R&B singer Kelly Rowland (Kelendria Rowland, b. 1981) joined forces for one of the best and biggest hits of the 2000s, “Dilemma”. “Dilemma” is the 10^th track from Nelly’s 2002 multi-platinum album, Nellyville. Legendary songwriters Kenneth Gamble (b. 1943) and  Bunny Sigler (1941 – 2017), as well as producers Antoine “Bam” Macon and Ryan Bowser, penned “Dilemma.” The nearly five-minute-long song samples a Patti LaBelle (b. 1944) gem (“Love, Need and  Want You”) and D-Train (“Misunderstanding”). A dominant number one hit, it spent 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has earned more than a billion streams on Spotify.  The biggest accolade is arguably the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.  “Dilemma” was also, rightfully, nominated for the Grammy for Record of the Year at the 45^th Annual Grammy Awards.

“Dilemma” thrives off its smooth, tasteful production work. Both Nelly and Kelly Rowland have a terrific backdrop to fuel their musical fire.  Rowland delivers beautiful, playful vocals. Beyond the excerpted pre-chorus, Rowland eats on the dedicated, tuneful chorus.

“No matter what I do

All I think about is you

Even when I’m with my boo

Boy, you know I’m crazy over you.”

Kelly does an awesome job of setting the tone for Nelly.  Nelly brings pitched, melodic, pop-rap to the verses.  His cadence and flow are compelling and agile.  Throughout, he delivers his fair share of memorable lyrics. According to the rapper, “She got the hots for me, the finest thing my hood done seen.” He adds in the first verse, “I never been the type to (Never) break up a happy home (But, uh) / There’s somethin’ ‘bout baby girl, I just can’t leave alone.” Ooh-wee! A dilemma, indeed! He makes it clear in the second verse, “And there’s no way / Nelly gon’ fight over no dame.”  The dilemma continues as he tells her, “You and Derrty got ties for different reasons / I respect that, and right before I turn to leave / She said, ‘You don’t know what you mean to me.” While many key parts of this duet are performed separately, there are moments when Nelly and Kelly collaborate seamlessly.  Nelly adds consistent ad-libs to Kelly’s timeless chorus.  In the refrain, Kelly reciprocates Nelly’s references to different geographic religions with ad-libs. In the final chorus, they are locked in on three words: “You know I’m.” Woo! “Dilemma”, more than two decades later, remains a surefire vibe.  The stars aligned on this one!

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Nelly » Nellyville » Universal / UMG Recordings, Inc. » 2002

Nelly & Kelly Rowland, Dilemma: Dazzling Duets No. 27 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Universal / UMG Recordings, Inc.; cottonbro studio, Sachith Ravishka Kodikara from Pexels; andresilva5, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]

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