Nelly shows off effortless backflip in new video, awestruck fans ask 'how old is he and what's his secret?'
Hip-hop legend Nelly posted a new video on his Instagram and it's proof that age is just a number. The video posted on August 1 shows his well-known gymnastic ability.
In the short clip, the 45-year-old rapper and singer-songwriter is seen in a white tank top looking buff as ever and performing a backflip on the lawn of a private social gathering. Nelly backflips (cellphone in hand) with little-to-no effort and lands on his feet smoothly. The 'Hot in Here' singer captioned the clip: "45 No gray no dying... head full of hair... and still got them ups..!!! ps phone in hand and all #40&olderchallenge..!!!??"
Nelly's stunt drew a lot of love from fans including a mistaken birthday message from fellow rapper Ludacris who wrote, "Happy Bday." It is unclear why Ludacris thought it was the singer's birthday because Nelly's special day is on November 2, but he has removed his message.
Fans' reactions to the video included comments like, "And still fine as can be" and "a standing back flip in place that boy cold." One fan wrote on his Instagram post, "U had me nervous as a mutha!!!!" Another fan wrote, "How old is Nelly and what's his secret."
Nelly's fitness is not a secret to his fans. One of the most notable times we got to see the rapper showing off his physical prowess was in the Adam Sandler comedy 'The Longest Yard' which released in 2005. In one of his scenes, Nelly dodges and springs over his football opponents effortlessly. You can watch a fan-made music clip of the scene here.
In an interview with The Associated Press the year after its release, Nelly spoke about his experience in the film, saying, "It was cool. I don’t want to say easy, because it wasn’t easy. It was natural for me because I could relate to the role so easily, as far as me playing football and hanging out with the guys. My experiences growing up playing football helped. I played in the junior football league and junior high school ball in St Louis. It wasn’t anything I had to take too many acting classes for. I didn’t have to cry on film or anything like that."
Other celebrities who can perform similar physical stunts include Zac Efron, Taylor Lautner, Austin Mahone, Tom Holland, Cameron Boyce, Hilary Duff, Jason Derulo and Channing Tatum.
As far as Nelly's music is concerned, we can only hope Nelly's extensive energy can be geared towards new material. Nelly's latest album 'M.O.' released way back in 2013. In January it was announced that Nelly was set to hit the festival circuit this year. He was expected to perform his critically acclaimed 2000 album 'Country Grammar' at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival but it has since been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.