We have already reviewed Nelly giving St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Fernando Vina a cameo in the Welcome to Atlanta remix music video, so it makes sense to take a look at his attempts to make it to the big leagues himself in Batter Up.
For starters, there is so much stuff going on. Seriously, there are like nine or ten different threads to follow. You have Sherman Hemsley, the announcers, the cheerleaders, the baseball game, the opposing team and the St. Lunatics all kind of loosely connected but also sort of doing their own thing.
In our music video review for Young Jeezy’s Who Dat, we mentioned how simple it was. Well, this is the complete opposite of that. Something is seemingly happening at all times. Despite this, Nelly proves he should be in the big leagues by making it work.
Seriously, this is an awesome music video from start to finish. And here is a fun fact: the announcers are played by Ali and Nelly which I did not realize until recently. That is a combination of outstanding makeup and some great acting on their part.
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Song: Batter Up
Artist: Nelly featuring Ali and Murphy Lee
Year: 2001
Quote it:
This is Mark, oh-who-gives-a-fuck from ’93 TV.
This is my co-host, Bob Buttafuoco.
We got a crowd that’s in a frenzy Bob.
Best Video Moment: The scoreboard showing the St. Lunatics with 420 runs (3:41 in the video).
See More: Rap Music Video Reviews from The Touchback
What makes Batter Up such a great music video is the fact Nelly and the St. Lunatics are baseball fans. Their love and understanding of the sport allowed them to create such a ridiculous representation of it. This isn’t Jay-Z doing some pretend auto racing with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick.
As a baseball fan, you have to appreciate the fact this is a video made from a place of love for the game.
Nelly makes the big leagues, but the St. Lunatics stay in AAA ball
Look, I’m a big St. Lunatics guy. I bought the Free City album which had Batter Up as a bonus track. But they did not have any staying power. In baseball terms, the group was the promising rookie that gets called up, has an impressive first game or two and then can’t hit anything. Eventually, the prospect is sent back down to the minors.
The St. Lunatics were that prospect and while they have toiled in AAA for 20 years now, Nelly made it to the big leagues.
