The Neptunes duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo have made a name crafting surefire singles that helped redefine hip-hop in the last decade. At one point, Neptunes had their fingerprints on half the songs in the Top 10. That's total, unparalleled domination. But N.E.R.D., their side project with rapper Shay Haley, is an entirely different story. With each album, the crew brings itself closer to creative stasis. Their fourth album Nothing does nothing to change that.
Nothing fails where its predecessors succeed. The electro-funk bark of Seeing Sounds, for instance, has been replaced by safe, tepid numbers. If you're expecting the fierce rhythms that made "Everyone Nose" and "She Likes to Move" floor favorites, you're in for a massive disappointment. Instead, Williams and co conjure a mixbag of uninspired songs buried within the occasional gem.
Nothing is a solid placeholder that will surely satisfy staunch N.E.R.D. fans while Skateboard P cooks up his next guest hook for Jay-Z. These guys have enough talent between them to deliver a masterpiece, but they fall short once again.
Best Songs:- "Hypnotize U"
- "Hot-N-Fun"
- "Sacred Temple"
