When we last heard from N.E.R.D on 2010’s Nothing, Pharrell Williams was already a bona fide cultural icon. From music and film to fashion and television — there was seemingly nothing the über-talented producer couldn’t do. But The Neptunes side project was still up in the air. In 2016, rumors started to circulate that he’d reconnected with his N.E.R.D brethren Chad Hugo and Shay Haley. The excitement that came along with the possibility of a fresh N.E.R.D project started to ripple across the industry. Just over a year later, N.E.R.D’s fifth official studio album No_One Ever Really Dies has arrived.
True to form, the 11-track effort is more like a collection of fiery mini-symphonies that effortlessly swing from genre to genre. Every track has multiple intricate parts that make each one feel like its own wild musical journey. Much like the trio’s 2002 debut In Search Of…, it’s impossible to classify the record as merely “Hip Hop” when it’s a cornucopia of layered, eclectic sounds, including pop, R&B, trap, rock, fast-paced electronica, reggae and calypso.
Beginning with the words, “The truth will set you free but first it will piss you off,” album opener “Lemon” featuring a rapping Rihanna quickly sets the tone. The Barbadian queen, who is more known for her singing than MCing, delivers a valiant effort and momentarily steals the spotlight from Pharrell with her flawless execution. In fact, there are actually two versions of the track — one without Rihanna — and it’s not tough to figure out why they added her to the official version. She brings a bright, crisp energy in an unexpected way that begs for RiRi to actually do a full rap album someday (hey, why not?).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgAcDhpPUF4
Where previous N.E.R.D albums often suffered from a lack of cohesion, No_One Really Dies is able to string together each track with a more uniform sound despite its vast array of guests. British pop darling Ed Sheeran, who just popped up on Eminem’s Revival (to the disappointment of some rap purists), makes an appearance on the reggae-infused album closer “Lifting You” and the always Auto-Tuned Future is featured on the high octane “1000,” while British-born Sri Lankan rebel M.I.A. shows up on “Kites.”
But it’s the monster features from Kendrick Lamar and a damn-near-retired André 3000 that really shake things up, and inject even more life to an already frenetic project.
On “Don’t Do It!” featuring K. Dot and the enigmatic Frank Ocean, Pharrell is able to wrap an overtly political song in a fun, “happy” package (pun intended). As Pharrell explained on his Beats 1 radio show, the song was inspired by the police shooting death of North Carolina’s Keith Lamont Scott. As officers were telling Scott to put his hands up, his wife was screaming “Don’t do it” and trying to explain he had a traumatic brain injury. They still opened fire, killing Scott. Despite the seriousness of the content, the “HUMBLE.” MC and Pharrell are somehow able to keep the song uplifting with its dynamic, guitar-heavy and uptempo beat.
Meanwhile, on “Rollinem 7’s” featuring 3 Stacks, we get an explosive verse from the Outkast luminary that makes you wonder why he’s ready to sit back and let the younger generation take over.
With Pharrell producing every song and Hugo providing co-production on a handful of the tracks, the direction of No_One Really Ever Dies was in good hands.
Prodigious bass player Thundercat lends his talents to the more subdued “Deep Down Body Thurst” and “Voilà,” while electric guitarist Brent Paschke (who helped craft N.E.R.D’s inaugural album) also plays on five of the tracks, giving songs like “Lightning Fire Magic Prayer” and “Secret Life of Tigers” their rock edge.
Additional vocalists include A$AP Rocky and Mary J. Blige on the aforementioned “Kites,” and Gucci Mane and Wale on “Voilà,” whose subtle appearances are almost missed.
With so many moving parts, there are a few moments where No_One Ever Really Dies becomes slightly disjointed but the crew is able to get back on track quickly and recover from any perceived murkiness. While it would be easy to get lost in the eclecticism of the album, that’s frankly what makes N.E.R.D the group they are. If they aren’t going to push the boundaries and get weird, who will?
It’s not bad, but it’s just not for me.
NERD and Neptunes went from childhood heroes to sellout fuckboys. This album is the definition of “IDK-WTF-Im-doing-but-i-need-money”.
And there were people saying Eminem has a pop album, this album has real pop music vibes (thanks to Pharrell Williams dabble with pop) Most beats sound like something Bruno Mars would be on. Even Kendrick can’t save this album for me, but I wouldn’t call it a bad album in anyway.
not good at all
The album wasn’t that good y’all. I think I heard the bass guitar once. Too much 808. Pharrells vocals are on point but having a trap sound is super cliche at this point. Nerd isn’t made for shit like that. This album wasn’t a total let down but it’s nowhere near as timeless as the last 4 projects.
Not what I was expecting or even wanting in an NERD album, but it ended up being something I didn’t know I wanted or needed.
It’s loud, sporadic, erratic, and all around brilliant.
This album is super dope, I heard traces of seeing sounds and fly or die and yet it had a progressive sound and electronic drums of the first version of in search of.
The beat changes were slick too. Pharrell and Chad can’t do no wrong ??
Didnt know i wanted another nerd album before i heard it. Shit is dope.
5/5. 4 is reasonable. Anything below that is from a hater. Straight up
Boring as fuck. I don’t knownwhy these dudes don’t just make Hip-Hop beats (which they are great at) and rap with features. The PC BLM bullshit has also got to go. The only dope track was lemon. The rest was garbage. That 3 Stacks sound embarrassingly bad. The K.Dot shit was worse… Go ahead, call me a hater. I liked some of their older shit.
You suck at listening to music. Kill ya self peckerwood
I’m sure this is a great album for a lot of other people, but it just wasn’t great for me. I only liked the last few tracks on it.
False. Thus is probably the worst album they have ever made. I have no plans on listening to any if the sings on this album ever again. Thoroughly disappointed. They went too pop. That’s not what core fans want.
Just on the pop side for me. Didn’t like Lemon at all, but was hopeful the rest of the album would bang.
It’s …OK with some good moments.
Would prefer a slightly more hip hop edge across the board.
Not their best work.
FUTURE is a pointless person so that gives more negative points.
I have been on so many comment threads. The moderation is concerning, if there is any moderation. We, especially in the hip hop forums need to stop being so hateful. Real and Hateful are separate. Our opinions versus genuinely and patiently listening to each person’s story is reflected in our commentary on artists’ media.
That said, this album is a great story. Well written. Grandiose and detail oriented and expansive in production. And the groove and excitement are steady throughout every track. Thank you, NERD. A thank you to those that can be considerate, positive, and still real AF in their commentary.
THIS ALBUM WAS TRASH! I LOVED THE FIRST N.E.R.D ALBUM BUT THIS WAS PURE TRASH, HIGHLY OVERRATED
Really great album. Initially I was a little lukewarm on it, but after giving it a couple of listens it really grew on me. Giving it a 5 because no way is this album is less than a 3. Best Tracks: 1000, Don’t Do It, Lemon, Voila, and Deep Down Body Thrust.
Its DOPE as fuck and I never even really listened to them before.
I slept on this album. Now that I finally gave it a chance I’m really liking it.