Nelly Compares Reviving Apple Bottoms to ‘Reuniting with a Long-Lost Relative’ (Exclusive)

An apple a day keeps Nelly in business.

About one year after the “Hot in Herre” rapper relaunched his iconic Apple Bottoms denim brand, the company is partnering with Bubly sparkling water for the limited-time return of its popular crisp apple flavor.

“You want to be able to pair up and double brand with companies that have similar structure in what it is that you’re doing, meaning they’ve been able to have unbelievable success in an area where I would have never thought people would be making money,” Nelly, 50, tells PEOPLE of the collaboration. “Sparkling water, who knew?”

The campaign also finds the brand launching Apple Bubly Jeans, an exclusive pair with “Apple Bubly” embroidered in green on the iconic apple-shaped back pockets. Available on the Apple Bottoms website, fans can get a bundle featuring the jeans and sparkling water as well as a tank top, keychain, mini denim clutch and iron-on patch.

Additionally, a commercial for the link-up features a new remix of Flo Rida and T-Pain’s hit “Low,” which references Nelly’s brand on the chorus: “Shawty got them Apple Bottom jeans, boots with the fur / The whole club was looking at her.” (The new version, however, swaps the brand name for “Apple Bubly jeans.”)

Launching Sept. 18, Apple Bubly Jeans comes after Nelly revived the Apple Bottoms brand last year in response to fans’ longtime requests. “It’s like reuniting with a long-lost relative, so to speak,” he says of the comeback.

Apple Bottoms originally launched in 2003, and its success came as a surprise to Nelly, who’d previously run a men’s fashion brand called Vokal but didn’t anticipate a venture into women’s clothing.

“My fan base that had been showing me unbelievable support all throughout my career, they stood up for Apple Bottoms at that time where I think just all of the urban fashion was really the fashion at the time,” he explains.

The brand was able to highlight and celebrate women with curves long before the body positivity movement’s boom. “I’m a country boy, man,” he says. “We like curves. My mama’s got curves, my auntie’s got curves.”

Nelly continues, “We’re real thankful that they did see that we were saying, ‘Hey, we love the way you are. We love the way you look. Matter of fact, those jeans don’t fit because maybe the designer is not from where you’re from or don’t get why you dress like that or why you’re curved like that, but we understand it,’ and we were able to get the support.”

Even after all this time, spotting the Apple Bottoms logo in public never gets old for Nelly. “It definitely doesn’t, because it means I’m getting paid,” he jokes.

And while the brand has worked with rapper Latto for a campaign since it’s relaunch, Nelly says his wife, Ashanti, is working on a future collaboration with Apple Bottoms. “You got to wait for that one,” he teases.