On Aug. 10, 2021, a tweet claimed to show an abandoned mansion previously owned by the rapper Nelly.
Misleading Ad
The paid Twitter ad in question was highly misleading. Nelly never owned the property in the picture.
Readers who clicked the ad were led to a story about Nelly's real abandoned mansion, which was very different than what was seen in the Twitter ad. The article lasted a staggering 81 pages and showed multiple photographs that appeared to have been plucked from various YouTube videos and other websites.
Nelly's Real Abandoned Mansion
According to Realtor.com, the real and perhaps at one time abandoned mansion that Nelly once owned is located in Wildwood, Missouri. It's located just outside of St. Louis, and did not appear in the ad above. The home showed as a pending sale in mid-August 2021. The mansion has six bedrooms and 6.5 baths and covers 10,799 square feet. The asking price was $599,000.
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/17329-Hidden-Valley-Dr_Wildwood_MO_63025_M79539-41672
The property history showed that the home was first purchased for an unknown amount of money on April 14, 1994. It was then listed for $2,650,000 in 2001 and then $2,499,000 in 2002. It sold on Sept. 4, 2002, again for an unknown price. It's not known when Nelly's former mansion was abandoned and emptied of all its contents.
This video from the Living St. Louis YouTube channel shows the abandoned mansion when snow was falling in February 2021:
It's unknown if the current pending sale will go through successfully.
The Picture in the Ad
According to the Freaktography website, the picture in the ad that showed a much larger building was taken in Northern Ontario. It was "built by a Canadian forest industry company." Work began in 2005. It was intended to be used as "an office complex, living quarters and a showcase" for the company's products. Freaktography reported that construction was abandoned after a "strong downturn in the global economy."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9kPjeYI478&t=89s
In sum, a misleading ad on Twitter claimed to show Nelly's abandoned mansion. In reality, the impressive picture was clickbait and had nothing to do with the rapper.