Nelly is an underwear model

Nelly is a rapper, an actor, a fashion mogul and now — thanks to buddy Sean “Diddy” Combs — an underwear model!!!

Nelly is nervous about the interview.

He watched the aftermath of Hurricane Ike unfold on television, so he was hesitant to talk about his forthcoming CD, Brass Knuckles, and his gig as the celebrity underwear model for Sean Jean.

Such things seem insignificant, he said.

Life is most important,” Nelly said by phone. “We’re from Missouri, and we have floods. We had a big one back in ’94. That was real crazy, but nothing like this. My blessings are with everyone in Houston.”

The rapper, actor and fashion mogul — whose recent show here was canceled in the wake of Ike — was recently picked by Sean “Diddy” Combs to represent the new Sean Jean underwear line. The ads feature a bare-chested, slightly oiled and tattooed Nelly wearing loose jeans with underwear peaking from the waist. It conjures images of Mark Walhberg in the popular Calvin Klein underwear ads in the 1990s.