Twenty-two years ago, texting was a burgeoning technology not everyone had mastered yet — just ask former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland.
Rowland is opening up about a hilarious moment in the official video for “Dilemma,” her 2002 hit duet with Nelly, that showed her attempting to text the rapper on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet on her cellphone.
The image of her message, which, by the way, read, “WHERE YOU AT? HOLLA WHEN YOU GET THIS,” went on to become a popular meme.
“Oh, my God, do you know how much flak I get from that?” the “Like This” singer said, laughing, after Mythical Kitchen’s “Last Meals” series host Josh Scherer recently inquired about the video’s technology flub.
“I’m so used to it now,” added Rowland.
When Scherer asked if anyone working on the set of the Benny Boom–directed video addressed her wacky “text,” Rowland replied in the negative.
“No. I’m actually mad at them that they didn’t because they made me look nuts,” she said, laughing again.Rowland went on to joke that she now understands why Nelly never responded to her text in the video. “What did you expect? Because it’s just a draft, my dear,” she said.
In real life, Nelly would likely respond to a text from Rowland. The two Grammy winners have been pals since meeting on the 2001 “Total Request Live” tour.
Read on to learn about Kelly Rowland’s friendship with rapper Nelly.
2001: The two hitmakers meet on a ‘Total Request Live’ concert tour
Rowland met Nelly when the rapper joined Destiny’s Child and other top acts of the day on the 2001 “Total Request Live” concert tour, according to a history of the song “Dilemma” published by MTV.com.
2002: They team up for ‘Dilemma’
The two stars teamed up to record the pop/R&B ballad “Dilemma,” which was released in 2002 as the second single from Nelly’s second studio album, “Nellyville.”
“I love Nelly,” Rowland told MTV.com on the set of the song’s official video. “This song is so catchy. Nelly has a great ear. He came up with this really catchy hook, ‘I love you/ I need you,’ and everybody sings it! A lot of people can relate to it, people find themselves in the dilemma. I just had a lot of fun recording the song. It didn’t even feel like work.”
“Dilemma,” which rose to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, helped Rowland score her first big hit outside of Destiny’s Child. It also earned her and Nelly a Grammy for best rap/sung collaboration at the 2003 Grammys.
And its video? Well, the chemistry between the two singers was off the charts, quickly sparking romance rumors.
Fun fact: “Dilemma” sampled from Patti LaBelle’s 1983 song “Love, Need and Want You.” The R&B legend plays Rowland’s mom in the video for the song.
Christmas 2002: The pair look cozy while performing together onstage
Rowland and Nelly, who have always denied they were ever a couple, showed off their chemistry again when they embraced onstage during Z100’s 2002 Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
2003: Rowland performs with Nelly at the Grammy Awards
Rowland and Nelly made fans swoon when they sweetly danced together while performing “Dilemma” at the 2003 Grammy Awards.
The song was nominated in a couple of categories and won an award for best rap/sung collaboration.
The two pop stars also hung out together backstage during the ceremony.
2011: Rowland and Nelly reunite for the duet ‘Gone’
Rowland and Nelly reunited for the 2011 duet “Gone.”
While “Gone” didn’t score as much chart success as “Dilemma,” its sultry video, which showed the pair kissing and caressing each other in Cancun, Mexico, proved the duo hadn’t lost any of their magic.