![]() NERD’s second album Fly or Die was a mess: an album that couldn’t work out what it wanted to be. 16 Justin Timberlake – Rock Your Body (2002)īoth a fantastic single and a missed opportunity: what if Michael Jackson hadn’t been so ill-advised as to turn down the Neptunes songs that wound up on Justin Timberlake’s debut album in favour of the appalling gloop he dished up on 2001’s Invincible? His loss was the former boyband member’s credibility-boosting gain. ![]() But in fairness, Shake Ya Ass – its backing track derived from James Brown’s Soul Power, Pharrell’s smooth chorus – could probably start a party anywhere. “I came here with my dick in my hand!” bellows Mystikal, which rather makes it sound as if he’s trying to start a party in an STD clinic. 17 Mystikal ft Pharrell Williams – Shake Ya Ass (2000) 18 Nelly – Hot in Herre (2002)Ĭhuck Brown’s early go-go hit Bustin’ Loose is an old school hip-hop sampling staple used by everyone from Eric B And Rakim to LL Cool J, but no one ever deployed it quite as successfully as on Nelly’s multi-platinum, Grammy-winning summer of 2002 anthem, a highlight of the Neptunes’ Midas-touch years. The original Europe-only electronic version is vastly superior, as demonstrated by Lapdance: the first take is stripped-down, ultra-catchy electronic funk that highlights Williams’s cool falsetto the re-recording is a lumpy mess that sounds uncomfortably like nu-metal. Why NERD chose to re-record their debut album with a rock band is an enduring mystery. Head-turning 24 years ago, it still sounds amazing. Williams had 90s chart success as a protege of Teddy Riley, but Superthug was the track that announced the arrival of the Neptunes as an utterly distinctive, disruptive voice in hip-hop, pushing a ferocious beat and a nagging, cyclical keyboard line to the forefront of the mix. You could easily opt for Busta Rhymes’ other great Neptunes production, Pass the Courvoisier Part 2, but Light Your Ass on Fire’s cocky minimalism is what makes it: beyond the opening nod to Kraftwerk’s Trans-Europe Express, there’s nothing but a drumbeat, clearly designed to sound incredible at immense volume. 21 Busta Rhymes ft Pharrell Williams – Light Your Ass on Fire (2003) There’s an echo of that early weirdness here: “I got a colourful aura,” he offers, “like I got neon guts.” And the beat is terrific: spacey synths over a super-stoned rhythm track. In the Neptunes’ pre-fame days, Williams wrote psychedelic sci-fi rhymes: a Virginia Beach friend remembered lyrics about “space coasters” and laser guns. 22 Lil Uzi Vert ft Pharrell Williams – Neon Guts (2017) 23 Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl (2004)Įven on an album that featured productions from Dr Dre, André 3000, Dallas Austin and Jam and Lewis, the Neptunes’ work stood out: battering-ram drums, dive-bombing sub-bass, raw-sounding brass samples, an incongruously sweet acoustic guitar. But behind the familiarity lurks a fantastic pop song, its lyrical straightforwardness balanced by beautifully nuanced production that evokes 60s soul without sounding like an imitation. The eighth highest-selling single in UK history, Happy is hopelessly, perhaps irrevocably, overplayed: plenty of listeners would doubtless be delighted never to hear it again. Read more 24 Pharrell Williams – Happy (2013) The main lyrical preoccupations of NERD’s debut album are evident in the song titles – Lapdance, Rock Star, Am I High? – but Run to the Sun is something else: slick funk that sounds like a love song, but turns out to be a regret-filled paean to Williams’s ailing grandmother. The rumours were untrue, but you can’t really blame people for wanting one: Juggernaut is that good. Pharrell’s only contribution to the uncompromisingly dark Juggernaut was a guest spot, rapping over the distorted beats and dive-bombing bass, but it was enough to spark rumours of a collaborative Tyler/Williams album. 28 Tyler, the Creator ft Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell Williams – Juggernaut (2021) ![]() It was repurposed – with Nas replacing Pusha T – for the Neptunes’ Clones album, but the original still wins. A lost classic from Kelis’s second album, which wasn’t released in the US: guest rap from Pusha T, slapping beats, reedy organ, great hook (“Make my record skip, make my record skip”) fantastic chorus. ![]()
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