There’s a new N*E*R*D record out, which means another chance to use that band’s crappiness to perpetuate the myth that The Neptunes have fallen off. The production duo’s decade-long, weirdly loved, ridiculously indulgent singer-songwriter rap project has little bearing on their supposed inability to make hits like they used to though. Presumably, Williams and Hugo no longer have to make bangers anymore, so they don’t. They spent way too long as worker-bee, radio-pleasing producers, and want to do other stuff now.
Also, their sound, that Neptunes sound, wouldn’t work on a mainstream level anymore. “Showin’ Out” from Til’ The Casket Drops is as potent as “Grindin” was in 2002, but “Grindin” wouldn’t be a hit in 2010 either, so what are they to do but follow their muse?
The still not exactly substantiated “break” between Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo also plays a part in the lowered respect of The Neptunes’ recent output. It’s clear that they occasionally work without one another and though their work is always credited as “produced by The Neptunes,” certain songwriting credits feature only one of their names (Williams only on Hell Hath No Fury and In My Mind, Hugo on most of Kenna’s work) and this leads to lots of speculation. Strangely, it’s resulted in a reconsideration of Williams’ appeal, suggesting that Hugo was the true mastermind, even though Williams continue to make sorta-hits, no one cares about Kenna, and the stuff where they’re undeniably working together, such as N*E*R*D, is laughed-off by the people who yearn for the days of “Virginia” or “Young’n (Holla Back)”.
Williams and Hugo also aren’t the most savvy spokesmen for their music and so, they don’t exactly control their context like other musicians. Hugo rarely talks, and Williams, even when he’s in “black Carl Sagan” mode, doesn’t really philosophize about his beats in interviews. There’s no clever prepping of listeners for sonic seachanges and they refuse to treat their work as capital-A art like Kanye West. The Neptunes unfortunately, arrived a little too early to explain away their mistakes or weird indulgences as “experimenting” (even N*E*RD was presented as their stadium rock-pop project), and they’re suffering for that now. The Neptunes’ sonic peer, in terms of importance and sophistication is Timbaland, and both production juggernauts belong to an earlier craftsman-like producers who understood that being a genius was just part of the game, not something you reminded people of in every interview. The sound was quietly tweaked over time.
And that’s exactly what The Neptunes have been doing since 2004 or so: Subtly steering their sound away from the “Superthug” model. The Neptunes have remained as willfully weird and focused in the second half of the 2000s as they were in the first, only The Neptunes “sound” became this lounge music-like, blissed-out, easy listening stuff full of empty-space cheez, which doesn’t sound all that different from the spacey, chillwave vibe that’s been celebrated in the rap underground over the past year.
The current, unfairly disparaged Neptunes sound begins with Snoop’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” Anchored by Pharrell’s ridiculous croons and alternating between spare, almost nihilistic rhythms and on-some-other-shit, pulsing new-age synths, it’s the point where making music that ripped in a club stop being important to them. 2005’s “Can I Have It Like That,” the first single from Williams’ supremely underrated 2006 album, In My Mind is both an egregious derivation of “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and a much better song. Also: Beanie Sigel’s “Don’t Stop” and Twista’s “Lavish.” 2006 brought hard-hitting but hollow, pulsing, minimalism to Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury, “Partners For Life” from Diddy’s Press Play, and Pharrell’s solo album, In My Mind which Sean Fennessey of Pitchfork called “yacht rap”. Though he meant that as a dig, I think that’s exactly what Williams was going for: absurdly comfortable, laid-back hip-hop.
In 2007, The Neptunes found the only guy goofier and more Vegas ridiculous than they were: Robin Thicke. A few years later, the radio’s surrounded by Bruno Mars and Colin Munroe types. In 2008, they gave Madonna a ton of beats for her disastrous Hard Candy (that title embodies The Neptunes’ much-maligned, post-”Drop It Like It’s Hot” sound: tough but sweet) and Common some space-rap boom-bap on Universal Mind Control. The Neptunes in 2009 are best represented by Jay-Z’s “Ambitious,” a comfortable ending-credits slow jam, and Clipse’s “Popeye’s (Back By Popular Demand),” a jazzy-wazzy hard-hitting beat reaching for Lord Willin’ and not getting there but getting somewhere pretty cool anyways.
Currently making its rounds on Sirius/XM is Gucci Mane’s “Haterade” featuring Nicki Minaj. “Haterade” doesn’t even have much to do with the hard-pop of “Milkshake” or “Hot In Herre,” let alone “Superthug” but that’s a good thing. Pharrell croons Deepak Chopra-inspired loverman stuff over a glowing, glob of keys and synth pulses, and the snapping, clacking drums are there enough but spare enough for Gucci Mane and Nicki Minaj to comfortably do their thing over. It’s a great song.
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Yeah, I’m with this. In a way the advent of Kanye West and his “capital A art” has let Pharrell off the uncomfortable hook he was on.
He was always just a little too self-aware to be that dude. Kanye is perfect for the job of being Kanye, Pharrell is better off being half of the Neptunes and a (valid but) bad singer on the side.
I thought I was the only person that really liked “Ambitious”.
My boss, prog rocker in his 40s, has the first two NERD albums on his iPod and no other Rap/Rappish stuff. This is why it was hard being Pharrell for a while there.
beez
8 Nov 10 at 9:58 pm
I think the litmus is how you feel about “Hell Hath No Fury”. If you’re like me and thought the majority of it was great, then that two-year period where people thought the Neptunes had fallen off might’ve seemed silly or premature. For the tons of people who apparently hated HHNF, they’ve been disposable for 6 years now, starting with “Clones” and that Nelly “Eagle” song (which should have been an E-40 track, really)
I don’t know if they’re exactly defensible right now as much as “not as bad as people say, but still kind of bad”. There was an amazing four-year run where they supplanted Timbaland and basically became hip-hop and R&B, but they did a lot more varied weirdness then then trying to re-make the Clipse’s “The Funeral” into that failed Cam joint. Then again the only thing off that album I thought was good was the Keri Hilson song. Which itself was a club record that would’ve gotten played in 2005 or 2006 but never now.
That’s probably their curse. Being ahead of their time, then the epitome of their era and now being too out-of-step with current sounds to have anyone care. Like, I wonder if Pharrell still charges the same fee for beats that dude used to 8 years ago? Or does he have more sense now?
But yeah, dude’s great at making chintzy yacht music as opposed to the less tacky but still great stuff Curren$y or Rick Ross have been coming out with. But as a huge fan of the first NERD album, it sucks that they put out three shit records after the first and pigeonholed themselves. 2002 was a really weird and interesting year with Res, “Phrenology”, Remy Shand, a political Eminem album and Cody ChesnuTT and the weird pre-Lupe niche that album fit in seemed like a good portent of stuff down the line. Then they became the shallow, clumsy dudes people had accused them of, which just reinforced everyone’s opinion.
chris
9 Nov 10 at 6:32 am
So… I thought you would actually talk about that new NERD album, Brandon?
I never listened to NERD, but would have read your comment on them. Which NERD album do you recommend, do you like this new one?
Gucci’s Haterade is o.k. The only memorable thing about it is Pharrell’s hook. The beat at least doesn’t distract from Gucci’s rapping. But somehow Gucci’s rap on there as on a lot of other records this year leaves me unimpressed.
Why does none of you bloggers call Gucci out for his current equivalent of Jay-Z’s “old man whisper” rap style? (Sorry I can’t remember if it was you or Noz or someone else who criticized Jay for that around the time BP3 dropped.)
It would be great, Brandon, if you would write about Gucci’s rap evolution (devolution?), with focus on status quo.
Sorry for veering off topic. I guess I don’t care much about the Neptunes. Couple of great beats, but as their own band with Pharrell as lead singer I’m pretty sure they are boring. But I heard they rock their live shows.
I guess the essence of your article is that they’re irrelevant today. Strangely Gucci still cares about them enough to pop a rubberband on them.
scjoha
10 Nov 10 at 9:40 am
beez-
Yeah, Pharrell sorta just doesn’t give a fuck, so he can’t talk for days like Mr. West. I love “Ambitious”! A DJ friend of mine usually ends his sets with it, ha.
LOLZ at your boss. Maybe he’ll like the new Kanye if he likes prog?
chris-
As usual, you’re spot-on. I especially like your Cody Chesnutt, NERD, etc. timeline b/c at the time, I was a lot more hard-headed and just hated all that stuff (save for Cody!) but now it makes more sense and means something.
Didn’t even make the “Popeye’s”/”The Funeral” connection.
scjoha-
I think Gucci’s whisper flow works because he’s still saying the same goofy zany stuff. He isn’t trying to be like “I’M MATURE” like Jay.
brandonsoderberg
10 Nov 10 at 7:37 pm
haha. There’s a bunch of weird Neptunes singles/tracks that remind me of New Orleans brass music, or at least my shallow understanding of it since I assume they don’t do that in Virginia Beach. Like “Cotdamn”, “The Funeral”, the Popeye’s joint. Basically whenever they get the horns involved.
chris
10 Nov 10 at 10:29 pm
Notes:
“Can I Have It Like That” was hot garbage, jus tmy opinion.
, I could care less if a producer was out-of-step with the current sound. Some times the current sound is not hot but rather, meh, whatever.
Hell Hath No Fury? Loved it.
The Neptunes fell off? I guess everybody have their own opinions. They’re sh*t still bumps. Overall good piece and some interesting comments here.
VEe!
12 Nov 10 at 2:53 pm
I think that the Neptunes current style of production is due to the fact that they dont experiment any more and that they’re complacent. On the In My Mind Video Pharrell said that a lot of people said that during 1998- 2004 era, some of they’re music sounded the same and that he hated when people said that. That’s the reason why I think his current production style isn’t unique because he hasn’t created a new sound that’s sound like the first NERD record.
montieru56
24 Nov 10 at 7:19 pm