Ali & Gipp

In 2005 Ali & Gipp first surfaced by joining Nelly on the track “Grillz,” which also included Paul Wall, thereby uniting the atmospheres of two crews rooted in different cities. Gipp, long affiliated with Atlanta’s Goodie Mob, and Ali, a member of St. Louis’ St. Lunatics, chose to extend that one-off encounter into a lasting partnership yet waited until the proper song surfaced. Ali located “Go ’Head,” a driving club cut that formally launched the duo as a project in 2006. Their full-length Kinfolk arrived the following year, boasting guest appearances from David Banner, Three 6 Mafia, and Juvenile and arriving through Nelly’s own imprint, Derrty Entertainment.