Any smart hip-hop fan knows who Pharrell Williams is. The uber-producer is one of the most popular beat makers in the industry.
With Chad Hugo, his partner in The Neptunes, he has crafted some of the most well known beats for artists such as Puff Daddy, Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lupe Fiasco over the years.
While he has had the most success as a producer, any intelligent hip-hop fan knows about Williams’ other affiliation: N.E.R.D. (No One Ever Really Dies). Comprised of Williams, Hugo and rapper Shay Haley, the group formed in 2001 and has released three albums to date.
Their debut album, “In Search Of…” is easily their best piece of work, and for the group it was a labor of love. The album was initially made with sampled beats and released in Europe first, but N.E.R.D. was unhappy with the results, so they decided to re-record it with mostly live instruments. A pretty rare move in the industry, but N.E.R.D. isn’t your run-of-the-mill hip-hop group.
The new version of the album replaces their signature techno grooves with rock guitars, drums, pianos, and other jazzy instruments and makes the album sound dynamic and alive. The American version was critically acclaimed, but it didn’t sell too many copies. Chalk that up to the release date, which was on September 28th, 2001, only a few weeks after 9/11.
The debut album from the group is an eclectic mix of hip-hop, funk and rock and is some of the most unique and original sounding music in the industry. The album touches on some interesting topics, including shady adolescents (“Bobby James”), desperate drug dealers (“Provider”) and dudes who like to videotape their girlfriends during sex (“Tape You”).
Pharrell raps with a tone of youthful exuberance and irony that makes each track even better. The way he can mesh sex, humor, the teenage mindset and cockiness is an art form in itself. From top to bottom, all twelve tracks are solid, with “Run to the Sun”, “Stay Together”, “Truth or Dare” and “Am I High” standing out as the best.
The first track “Lapdance” is easily the most party-friendly track, coming in hard with a percussion heavy beat that continues until the last second of the song.
Pharrell comments on American culture not-so-subtly as he raps into the chorus: “It's how I feel/It's this society/That makes a nigga wanna kill/I'm just straight ill/Ridin' my motorcycle down the streets/While the government is soundin' like strippers to me/Oooh baby you want me?/Well you can get this lap dance here for free.”
“Run to the Sun” is a heartbreaker and is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It starts on with a smooth keyboard that sets the stage for the funky guitar and bass. It’s an apology song at its core, detailing the end of an affair.
You can hear the truthfulness and hurt in Pharrell’s voice as he raps: “Girl I want to leave you with this line/It goes while you're here/I wanna tell you something/It's that I love you girl/Yeah, and I wish we could run to the sun/And never come back.”
“Am I High”, which features Malice (from Clipse) is my favorite track on the album. The piano heavy, drug themed ballad sounds like it’s coming straight from a high school melodrama, with the background vocals providing a great compliment to the lyrics.
It’s clear the drugs can’t heal Pharrell’s pain as he raps: “I think I've loved you since our high school/But you only wanted friends of mine/So when they replied, her, she's cool/Only then you gave our friendship time.”
Malice has one of the best and catchiest verses on the album as he raps with ferocity: “It's the kinda high that got me leaning/120 speeding in the rain/Meaning of a hydroplane/Play both sides of the field/See I know pain/Keep 'em high like Kurt Cobain/Listen,I'm known for speaking my mind/Known for fleeing from the scene of a crime/Eyes redder than the beam of my nine/Eyes redder than the scene of that crime/All for the love of the lime/I'm so high.”
“Bobby James” is the most underrated track on the album. The soft percussion and the opening verse sets the stage for this nearly six-minute teenage epic perfectly as Pharrell bellows: “Hi I'm 17 and my name is Bobby James/Everyday in school all my classmates call me names/And so this pusher introduced me to this thing/He said it makes you forget pain but makes you sing.”
Throughout the whole album Pharrell raps with a naïve attitude, and it’s never more prevalent than on this track. The chorus is equally painful as he raps: “Hey there mister give me some cash/I'm high as hell and I'm ready to blast/I'm just one hit away from being passed out/Young and assed out.”
N.E.R.D. doesn’t waste a single second on this album, and each track has something to offer, which is a rarity in hip-hop these days. The singing is flawless, the beats are bold and the album displays how talented The Neptunes really are. It’s a unique and stylish and is easily one of the most intriguing and classic hip-hop albums of the past decade.
Check out the original column at RefinedHype.com.
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