Episode two opens with yet another forced conversation of grief when Nelly "interrupts" his nephew writing letters to his deceased mother. The real shame of this is that Nelly seems to really care about his kids and the various stages of the grieving process they are all going through, but the set-up conversations feel insincere and hollow.
This episode focuses on Nelly and his nephew Shawn attending the BET Awards in Atlanta. We meet Nelly's gal Friday, a giant dude named "Three," as they pick up his sick new Bentley from the dealership. We watch in awe as Nelly becomes the first proud American to own a Bentley with a chrome hood.
Back in the Lou, Shantel is trying once again to reach out to Nelly's kids. This time she is determined to have a weekend with his niece Sydney that outdoes the boys BET Award vacation. What could top being on the red carpet with the likes of Nicki Minaj and Pharell? A cooking class, of course. As they whip up some brownies, you can finally sense some reality in the show when Sydney looks as bored as we feel.
Nelly dresses up Shawn and his friend Cam in matching bright red and yellow outfits (while hilariously calling them "Ketchup" and "Mustard") and dons his own matching black ensemble before heading off to the BET Awards. Nelly again talks with Mike Brown Sr. at the show, and Snoop Dogg addresses the Ferguson incident and asks everyone to put their hands up.
Not surprisingly, Shawn and his buddy steal the new Bentley and go for a ride the next morning, whereupon they fail to pick up chicks. After getting lost for hours, they arrive home and Shawn explains that he woke up and was bored and decided to take the car so as not to disturb his uncle's sleep. Nelly does a lot of stern talking, and then tells them not to do it again as if they're precocious toddlers who got into mommy's makeup.
There are a few true notes of reality as the family shares a conversation too private for the cameras when Shawn comforts his little sister over their mother's death and Nelly joins them. Afterward Shawn and Nelly visit Shawn's mother's grave for the first time. Shawn cries in the cemetery before Nelly talks to his sister in the grave in a truly sad moment.
The one thing the show does well is remind us why we like Nelly. Despite creating one of the best-selling rap albums of all time, he hasn't lost all touch with reality or reached Kanye levels of insanity yet. His home is luxurious but modest. He still says things like "ghetto MacGyver" and cranks out folksy wisdom to his kids like, "Be on your P's and Q's."
Country Grammar: A Lesson In Nelly's Vocabulary
Incognegro: A black person dressed inconspicuously.
Dummied: Pissed? Confused? Even Urban Dictionary couldn't clear this one up for sure
Nelly's quote of the week:
"How yo' black ass allergic to chocolate?!"
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