Photo from 2024 (credit Jon Gitchoff)
St. Louis, Mo. – Dec 2, 2025 – St Louis’ premier celebrity gala, the Black and White Ball presented by CarShield, is returning for 2025. For a decade (from 2006 to 2016), Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor and entrepreneur Nelly annually hosted the black-tie party with a purpose – a highlight of the city’s social calendar. He brought the beloved event back in 2023, with a packed guest list and star-studded lineup, as a way to continue celebrating and giving back to his hometown St Louis.
Photos from 2024 (credit Jon Gitchoff)
This year’s Black and White Ball is scheduled for Sunday, December 14 at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. Nelly will be joined by a diverse group of invited friends from the entertainment, sports and business communities.
The Black and White Ball will raise funds for Make-A-Wish Missouri, an organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Money raised from the event will go to grant wishes for local St. Louis children, continuing the gala’s legacy of supporting locally-focused charities. The Black and White Ball will also fund scholarships for local St. Louis students to attend Harris-Stowe State University, a historically black college and university (HBCU) committed to providing affordable, quality higher education to underserved populations in a friendly, inspiring environment.
Neyo/Photos from 2024 (credit Jon Gitchoff)
“This event is a celebration of St. Louis — the heart, the generosity, and the love this city pours into its youth,” said Nelly. “For me, giving back to STL is personal, and seeing the city show up year after year, alongside our celebrity friends, partners and sponsors, to support our kids and help grant these wishes and scholarships means everything to me.”
Former St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones with Nelly and The St. Lunatics/Photos from 2024 (credit Jon Gitchoff)
The Black and White Ball is always a star-studded event. Previous attendees and performers have included Wyclef Jean, Ne-Yo, Janet Jackson, Monica, Metro Boomin, Allen Iverson, Nick Cannon, T-Pain, Jermaine Dupri, Bow Wow, Evander Holyfield, Boyz II Men, Ashanti, Marshall Faulk, D.L. Hughley, Johnny Gill, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, En Vogue, Big Boss Vette, Ron Isley, Isaac Keys, Polow Da Don, Bill Bellamy, DMC from Run-DMC, Ozzie Smith, Jim Edmonds, Jon Jay, Orlando Pace, Torry Holt, Sydney Thomas and members of the St. Lunatics.
The event is presented by CarShield and produced by Derrty Entertainment and SYNERGY Productions LLC. Sponsors include Apple Bottoms, Walmart, and Date Ideas & Things To Do. Additional information is available at www.blackwhiteballstl.com.
ABOUT NELLY
Nelly is a Double Diamond–selling, multi-platinum, 3x Grammy Award–winning superstar whose impact spans music, TV, business, and culture. Since exploding onto the scene with Country Grammar, one of the only hip-hop albums ever to go Diamond, he has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and delivered some of the most recognizable hits of the past 25 years — including “Hot in Herre,” “Dilemma,” “Over and Over,” “Ride Wit Me,” “Just a Dream,” “Just a Lil Bit,” and “Cruise.”
Recently Nelly celebrated the 25th anniversary of Country Grammar, and just wrapped his sold-out Live Nation world tour Where the Party At, he added a residency at Zouk Las Vegas, completed the first season of his reality show “We Belong Together,” and is headlining seven iHeart Jingle Ball dates. He also received an Iheart Icon award in 2025. In 2026, he will release Heartland 2 — the follow-up to his groundbreaking country inspired project — along with a second season of the television series he produced and stars in alongside his wife, Ashanti. The two made global headlines this year with their marriage, the arrival of their first child together, and their hit Peacock reality series that transformed them into America’s sweethearts once again.
Nelly remains one of the most commercially utilized artists in advertising history, with “Hot in Herre” soundtracking major campaigns for Burger King (featuring the Cornell Haynes Jr. Meal) and Lay’s. Over his career, he’s fronted iconic campaigns for Reebok, Got Milk?, Ford, Cheerios, and Mike & Ike, helping shape the blueprint for today’s celebrity-brand partnerships.
Beyond music, Nelly has built a powerhouse business empire. He relaunched his legendary women’s fashion line Apple Bottoms, expanded his spirits brand MoShine, and opened new entertainment concepts including bowling lounges. His entrepreneurial influence began early with Apple Bottoms, Vokal, Pimp Juice energy drink, and even a collaboration with Nike on the “Air Derrty” sneaker. He also served as co-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats with Michael Jordan and continues to grow his Derrty Entertainment label.
As an entertainer, Nelly has starred in The Longest Yard, CSI: NY, 90210, Real Husbands of Hollywood, Nellyville, and became a fan favorite on Dancing With the Stars (bringing custom “tennis-shoe-meets-dance-shoe” sneakers and a viral backflip to the ballroom). In 2013 Nelly continued his on-camera career by signing on to Kevin Heart’s top rated show Real Husbands of Hollywood. The show follows the daily lives of him and other married celebrities, each playing a fictionalized version of themselves, as they venture through their surreal life in Hollywood. The show has won two NAACP awards, and has been nominated six times. He was the first hip hop artist to perform with some of the world’s top orchestras, judged on CW’s The Next, appeared on The Voice, and American Idol and continues to sell out arenas worldwide.
A dedicated philanthropist, Nelly dedicates his time for Make A Wish with hundreds of wishes and has self funded thousands of college scholarships. Nelly hosted leading the largest African American bone marrow drive in history in honor of his late sister to increase bone marrow and stem cell donor registration within the Black community. He had hoped to find a match for her but did find other matches that saved lives. He has supported DoSomething’s Tackle Hunger campaign and puts St. Louis first every chance he can including food drives and toy drives. Still at the top of his game 25 years in, Nelly remains a cultural force — a global touring star, a business visionary, and a beloved entertainment icon whose influence continues to shape music, fashion, and pop culture.
Beth Hoops, Publicist
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Senior Editor, Digital Manager, Blogger, has been nominated for awards several times as Publisher and Author over the years. Has been with company for almost three years and is a current native St. Louisan.
