His father was a pastor, his mother served as first lady, and his relatives were musicians, all of which led the budding artist to the Baltimore School for the Arts and Morgan State, where he studied choir. Nelson hit it big as an executive with a computer software company, but nearly lost everything in the 2001 dot-com collapse. It was then that he began composing the songs that would eventually earn him a number one spot on Billboard’s gospel chart. Backed by his vocal ensemble Purpose, Nelson released his major-label debut, Right Now Praise, in 2008, followed by Better Days in 2010. Both albums were issued on Columbia's Integrity imprint. He then moved to Karen Clark-Sheard and J. Drew Sheard's Karew label and released the number one gospel album Finish Strong in 2013. Fearless followed on Light, an eOne affiliate, in 2016. ~ James Christopher Monger