Thursday, March 13, 2008
Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo might be better known as The Neptunes, the production duo behind some of music’s most popular records in recent years, like Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” But the guys want you to get familiar with their experimental rock and hip-hop group, N.E.R.D, which they formed with childhood friend Shay Haley in 2000. The group is preparing to release their third album, Seeing Sounds, later this year. N.E.R.D. is currently on tour and performed at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St., on Tuesday to promote its new disc.
“Musically, it’s like a car that turns into a robot like Optimus Prime,” Williams says.
Williams compares the new songs to the Transformers character because he says most of the songs on the new album started out with one sound but ended with another. “It’s a can of Red Bull with growth hormones,” Williams says of the record, which starts off up-tempo, but slows down by the end.
The trio is excited to join Kanye West’s Glow In The Dark Tour this summer alongside rapper Lupe Fiasco and singer Rihanna.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D.
“Kanye and I had been talking about it for a year now,” Williams says of the tour. “We finally were able to figure it out and it’s going to fun.”
Williams and West collaborated in 2006 on Williams’ song “Number One,” but Williams did his most recent collaborations with West’s mentor, rapper Jay-Z.
Williams produced the tracks “I Know” and “Blue Magic” for Jay-Z’s most recent album, American Gangster. Previous efforts between Jay-Z and The Neptunes include the hits “I Just Wanna Love U,” “Excuse Me Miss,” “Frontin’” and “Young Girl.”
Hugo says collaborations with Jay-Z were all about feeling comfortable with the sound.
“When we record, he’s in the vocal booth and we mix and match different sounds until we get the right vibe,” Hugo says.
Williams says that although collaborations with Jay-Z had been successful in the past, the artists don’t focus on making hit records when they work together as much as they focus on making unique ones.
Switching from doing the production duties of The Neptunes to getting behind the mic for N.E.R.D. is never a problem, Williams says.
“You can have a conversation with friends in the streets but also be religious—there are different sides to a personality created,” Williams says. “N.E.R.D. is who we are. The Neptunes are what we do.”
After the Glow In The Dark Tour this summer, the trio will travel to Asia, the United Kingdom and Europe to continue their own tour and promoting Seeing Sounds.
“Expect energy and emotion,” Williams says of the album, which doesn’t yet have a set release date, but will hit stores sometime this year.
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