Houston, it’s about to get hot in herre.

Nelly, the Austin-born, Missouri-raised rapper/singer/twanger/star will take the stage for Bun B’s American Takeover at RodeoHouston on Tuesday, March 12.

H-Town’s rap icon and burger king dropped the news on Friday, February 2 to mark the first big reveal for his highly anticipated, final Takeover — the Trill OG’s trilogy, as it were.

“Nelly is someone we wanted last year,” Bun tells CultureMap. But with last year’s Southern Takeover — the follow-up to the inaugural H-Town Takeover in 2022 — falling on a Friday, Nelly couldn’t make it. This year’s Tuesday show made it an easy yes.

Nelly said, ‘OG, just keep me in mind if y’all do it again next year,’” Bun recalls of his convo with Nelly. “As soon as we had everything lined up and we had a date, I reached out to him and he confirmed and probably less than two days.”

That means fans can look forward to Nelly’s hits like the club fave “Hot in Herre,” “Southern Grammar,” “Dilemma,” the duet he performed with Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland, and more. They can also look forward to some sick dance moves; the gliding rapper killed it during his run on Dancing with the Stars.

“I think people have a better perspective of what the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is now,” Bun B notes when asked about the awareness he’s brought to the biggest amalgamated concert in the world each year with his ultra-famous, A-list friends. “Now, a lot of friends have been calling just to come and see what the rodeo is like, saying, ‘y'all look like y’all had fun!”

A helluva lot of fun. Fans will recall the Bun made Rodeo history with his 2022 H-Town Takeover, where — rather than keep the RodeoHouston stage for himself — he showcased iconic Houston greats and current stars like Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Z-Ro, Lil’ Keke, Lil’ Flip, a fire set by Tobe Nwigwe, among others.

His follow-up last year, the Southern Takeover, featured the likes of his friend Erykah Badu, David Banner, Cupid, and more.

If this is the OG’s final Takeover/trilogy, expect a throwdown of epic, Texas-sized proportions. “Yeah, if this is it, we’re going out with a bang,” says Bun, with almost a sense of awe. “Like, I don't know where they go from here. I can’t lie — this one is gonna be pretty bananas: there’s gonna be artists that you won’t know are gonna be there until they literally come out on stage.”

Fans should plans to stay locked to Bun’s Instagram for a few more teases before the big Takeover on March 12. And speaking of plans, plan to ask for the day after off, if possible.

“Tuesday night is gonna be one of the biggest parties you’ve ever seen,” Bun says. “I gotta be careful, but if I'm advising people, make sure you don't have to go to work on Wednesday morning.”

Noted, OG. We’re already putting in for a sick day.

----

Bun B’s American Takeover takes over RodeoHouston Tuesday, March 12 at NRG Stadium. For tickets, visit RodeoHouston online.