The most St. Louis thing of all St. Louis things has happened: St. Louis rapper Nelly is getting his own special can of the St. Louis beer Budweiser, and all of St. Louis is rejoicing!
The tall boy cans go on sale tomorrow in honor of the 20th anniversary of Nelly’s breakout album Country Grammar. They’re decorated in the traditional Budweiser design, but instead of “Budweiser,” they say “Nelly,” and instead of the Budweiser creed, they have lines from the title song: “St. Louis where we from, you ain’t never heard a weak one.” There’s also a portrait of the rapper where the Anheuser-Busch logo usually goes. Nelly Budweiser will only be available in St. Louis, which makes St. Louisans very happy because usually the city is on the butt-end of a lot of mockery from others, not envy.
“It’s a little overwhelming [to be recognized by a company as iconic as Anheuser-Busch],” Nelly told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “but it’s really dope, and it’s what you work for, and it’s definitely something to live up to and something to continue.”
Nelly, who grew up in St. Louis, waxed nostalgic about childhood trips to Grant’s Farm, the former home of the Busch family that is now a petting zoo, and noted the company’s presence at the annual Annie Malone May Day parade.
In celebration, another St. Louis brand, Lion’s Choice, maker of roast beef sandwiches, has decided to out-St. Louis everyone by serving sandwiches cut in the style of St. Louis bagels.
St. Louis is always gonna St. Louis, but that’s okay, because that’s why St. Louisans love it so.