Two at once

Depending on whom he was talking to at the time, Nelly was told he needed to put more club sizzlers like “Hot in Herre,” or more smooth grooves like “Dilemma,” on his new album.

Rather than split hairs, he split his material — into separate albums, “Sweat” and “Suit,” both released Tuesday.

The St. Louis rapper — whose two previous solo albums, “Country Grammar” and “Nellyville,” sold 9 million and 6 million copies, respectively — is the first hip-hop artist to put out two different albums simultaneously.

“I started out to do just one album, but I had so much material and I just wanted to get it all out there,” Nelly says, adding: “Hopefully everybody will support both records, but if not, you can get the side of Nelly that you like.”

So far, fans have seemed to like just about anything Nelly does. Last year, he went platinum with an album of remixes called “Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention.” The “Bad Boys II” theme “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” with Murphy Lee and P. Diddy, was a 2003 smash.

Both of the new records are loaded with guest stars and already have produced hit singles.

“Suit’s” romantic ballad “My Place,” featuring Jaheim, has been out nearly two months and is in the top 10 of the R&B and rhythmic and mainstream top 40 airplay charts. “Sweat’s” Neptunes-produced club jam “Flap Your Wings” is in the top 20 for R&B and rap.

“Sweat” also includes “Tilt Ya Head Back” with Christina Aguilera (also attracting radio airplay) and tracks with Fat Joe, Lil’ Flip and Nelly’s troupe, the St. Lunatics.

There are even more intriguing collaborations on “Suit,” which has “She Don’t Know My Name” with Snoop Dogg and Ronald Isley; “In My Life” with Avery Storm and Mase; and “Nobody Knows” with Anthony Hamilton.

But the most eye-opening pairing is on “Over and Over,” a duet with country star Tim McGraw in which he and Nelly lament losing their women to other men.

“I appreciate artists like Missy Elliott and OutKast and the way they aren’t afraid to take rap and hip-hop places that it’s never been before,” Nelly says of working with McGraw.

“I would see him and his wife, Faith Hill, at awards shows, and we would always talk about doing something together. We just had to find something that would be believable, and I think that’s what we got.”

Nelly has been busy beyond the music scene. His Pimp Juice energy drink is a hot commodity, he’s got his own clothing line and he’s filming his second movie, a remake of “The Longest Yard” with Chris Rock and Adam Sandler.

He also wants to tour starting in January along with the rest of the St. Lunatics, his collective of longtime friends and family.

It was just four years ago that the 29-year-old rapper with a singsong delivery and a penchant for slurring words put St. Louis on the hip-hop map with “Country Grammar.”

He hasn’t forgotten his roots. The father of two (Chanel, 10, and Cornell III, 5) devotes a great deal of time and money to the children of St. Louis through his 4Sho4Kids Foundation, which provides a summer education program and a safe house for children with HIV and AIDS.

Last year, he formed Jes Us 4 Jackie, a national marrow-donor drive sparked by his sister Jackie Donahue, 30, who has leukemia. At a St. Louis event, more than 1,000 people signed up with the National Marrow Donor Program Registry.

“A lot of times you are not aware of something until it hits home,” Nelly says. “This hit home, and I felt like I had to do something.”