# Nelly--what's with the white tape on his face? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelly-whats-with-the-white-tape-on-his-face/134750 "2002-10-31T20:44:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelly-whats-with-the-white-tape-on-his-face/134750/1 "2002-10-31T20:44:59Z")
So I saw that new Nelly video (Nelly/Kelly, I think?). What’s up with that piece of what looks to be white surgical tape on his cheek? Is it supposed to make him look tough, like he’s been fighting recently? Did he have a zit he needed to cover? Is it a secret gangsta symbol? Is it white duct tape he’s using to get rid of a wart? ---
**Author:** ![Church\_Key\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Church\_Key\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Church_Key_Kid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelly-whats-with-the-white-tape-on-his-face/134750/2 "2002-10-31T22:28:31Z")
I think it’s his individual style… like rolling up one leg of their pants or wearing their baseball cap (or visor) not forward or backwards, but 3/4 forwards. One could argue that the music is not good enough that they need to have a gimmick. I don’t necessarily believe that, but you could still argue it 😉 ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelly-whats-with-the-white-tape-on-his-face/134750/3 "2002-10-31T23:25:27Z")
The Band-Aid on the cheek is nothing new; Bobby Brown sported one for a while many years ago, and perhaps others have as well in the intervening years. It’s just supposed to be, as **fatdave** says, to make it his own look. And if you’re going to start a trend, you might as well make it one that makes it look like you’re a tough guy, who’s recently been in a scuffle of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelly-whats-with-the-white-tape-on-his-face/134750/4 "2002-10-31T23:29:25Z")
Okay, upon further online searching, it looks like: > [@](#): > > At first, Nelly wore the Band-Aid to cover up a basketball injury. But according to Entertainment Weekly, after that scar healed, Nelly kept wearing it in honor of ex St. Lunatic Lavell Webb (a.k.a. City Spud), who collaborated with Nelly on his hit song “Ride Wit Me”. Nelly says that Webb, who is serving a 10-year sentence for robbery, is innocent. “I know when he sees me on TV and sees me wearing this [Band-Aid], he knows I’m [wearing] it for him,” said Nelly. That sounds loony even for a St. Lunatic. The St. Lunatics are Nelly’s backup group and posse (named as such because they’re all from St. Louis). ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelly-whats-with-the-white-tape-on-his-face/134750/5 "2002-10-31T23:31:16Z")
Jeez, sorry to post 3 times to one thread, but I forgot to include the link to that explanation – which also has a picture of Nelly with the bandage on his left cheek. [http://appjava.alloy.com/gossipnew/Gossip.jsp?articleID=577](http://appjava.alloy.com/gossipnew/Gossip.jsp?articleID=577) ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelly-whats-with-the-white-tape-on-his-face/134750/6 "2002-10-31T23:58:05Z")
I read in another thread in GQ that he said he had it for a basketball injury, but just kept wearing it for no reason afterward. Which story is the one fabricated for the media? The one above seems a little “packaged for the media” to me. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelly-whats-with-the-white-tape-on-his-face/134750/7 "2002-11-01T18:16:48Z")
Good digging, guys. > [@](#): > > I read in another thread in GQ that he said he had it for a basketball injury, but just kept wearing it for no reason afterward. > > Which story is the one fabricated for the media? The one above seems a little “packaged for the media” to me. Probably he (a) had a basketball injury, so wore a band-aid (b) kept wearing it for no reason © eventually invented a reason to justify continuing to wear it (the “message” to his St. Lunatic).