1 noteWale - Inhibitions (Let It Loose) [feat. Pharrell]
Neptunian production in full muthaphukin eff-izz-ect! From the forthcoming Wale LP Attention Deficit.
I’m not really feeling any of the so-called hipster rappers of the current generation. But Wale so far seems to be the exception to the rule (especially when he’s on his hip hop sh!t). The kid can actually rhyme well and he puts some style into it. That and he f*cks with The Roots, The Neptunes and 9th Wonder. Much respek. Am looking forward to the album.
Edit: Upon numerous listens, I am really digging this track. Wale is charming as usual and sounds fantastic while effortlessly flowing over a Neps beat. As for the beat: the electronic noises and synths are all there, but the chill tempo and grimey, rumbling bass sounds more like a dirty HHNF-era Clipse beat which is a great thing; hungry and totally ill with a futuristic edge to it. As a bonus, Pharrell actually sings pretty good here (surprisingly) in his trademark falsetto voice and the hook is equal parts catchy, stylish and hilarious (with the chuckling and the double entendres and what not). I admit I was rather excited when I heard awhile back that Wale was working with The Neptunes on a joint on his new LP. And the hype has certainly been met with this track. I love it. So press play and let it loose!
Jay-Z - So Ambitious (feat. Pharrell) [Prod. The Neptunes]
From the forthcoming Blueprint III LP. This joint sounds like it belongs on Reasonable Doubt (which still stands as Jigga’s best album IMO).
“Y’all gotta hear this shit.” (c) Skateboard P
*waiting patiently for the BP3 instrumentals to surface*
Toni Braxton - Hit The Freeway (feat. Loon & Pharrell) [Prod. The Neptunes]
Underrated Toni Braxton single laced with vintage Neps production from the glory years (2000-2002). Watch out for the…BRIDGE!
So hit the freeway and have a nice weekend, yo.
Clipse - I’m Good (feat. Pharrell)
I’m still not crazy about this track from the forthcoming Clipse album. My main gripe with I’m Good is that it’s basically a Clipse/Neptunes joint without any solid percussion (blasphemy!). However this simple music video successfully captures the laid back, summery party vibe that the song is sending out (and at least the synths are present). Plus it’s nice to see P sharing screen time again with Pusha and Malice. Just like the GOOD ol’ days.
Film Geek Note: I just noticed something that may or may not be intentional. But throughout the video, the camera is slowly but surely panning to the right. Could this be a subtle reference to N*E*R*D’s Lapdance music video where the camera was practically whip-panning rightward the entire time? I’d like to think that it is. Cuz I’m good.
![famousfilipinos:
Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973), R&B pop singer, half-black & half-Filipino and is commonly known as Pharrell. He is an American music producer, singer-songwriter, and rapper. He, along with Chad Hugo are the duo of The Neptunes where they produce pop, hip hop and R&B music. Known for his “sweet” countertenor,[1] he is also the lead singer and drummer of the funk-rock band, N.E.R.D. He released his debut single “Frontin’” in 2003 and followed up with his debut album In My Mind in 2006. He sometimes refers to himself as “Skateboard P” in his songs.
So The Neptunes are 75% Filipino? My mind is officially blown. They should rename themselves to “The FlipTunes” (no particular reason why). Wow, I’m even more proud to be a long-time die-hard fan of them VA boys. Speaking of which, if you haven’t already, check out my epic list of the TOP 8 Neptunes produced joints (although I recommend you immediately press the END key upon clicking the link so that you can read the list from the ground up). Perfect music for the summertime, no doubt.](http://19.media.tumblr.com/NJmdcGbXSkpwrbsqxREHA11Yo1_400.jpg)
Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973), R&B pop singer, half-black & half-Filipino and is commonly known as Pharrell. He is an American music producer, singer-songwriter, and rapper. He, along with Chad Hugo are the duo of The Neptunes where they produce pop, hip hop and R&B music. Known for his “sweet” countertenor,[1] he is also the lead singer and drummer of the funk-rock band, N.E.R.D. He released his debut single “Frontin’” in 2003 and followed up with his debut album In My Mind in 2006. He sometimes refers to himself as “Skateboard P” in his songs.
So The Neptunes are 75% Filipino? My mind is officially blown. They should rename themselves to “The FlipTunes” (no particular reason why). Wow, I’m even more proud to be a long-time die-hard fan of them VA boys. Speaking of which, if you haven’t already, check out my epic list of the TOP 8 Neptunes produced joints (although I recommend you immediately press the END key upon clicking the link so that you can read the list from the ground up). Perfect music for the summertime, no doubt.
Did you hear that new Neptunes joint called “Big Mac/Filet-O-Fish/Quarter Pounder/French Fry”? Well here’s Phareezy performing it live at a McD’s in Paris, in an act-a-fool effort to get some non-breakfast items during breakfast time (a service which he is hilariously denied). Skateboard P is treated just like everyone else when inside Ronald’s crib. Nice improvised MJ moves, though.
Via DrunkenStepfather.
Pharrell - That Girl (feat. Snoop Dogg)
From the In My Mind LP (2006). This is probably the umpteenth time or so that I’ve mentioned this song on my tumblelog. But now I have a good reason. After almost 26 months of scrobbling fun, That Girl just became the first song on my Last.fm account to hit one hundred scrobbles. Yay! And double yay for getting to post a track without having to write a thousand words about it! Ah, the freedom…
Mary J. Blige - Steal Away (feat. Pharrell)
This track goes out to all you lululemon hotties out there (haha!). But on the real, this song (from Mary J’s No More Drama LP) is teh hotness yet still goes HARD (my favourite music combination). Pump up your subs, press play and nod your head or get to grindin’ with that special someone.
“Neptunes got the gangsta lean…”
Lil’ Wayne - Yes (feat. Pharrell)
Never been a Wayne fan (and still am not…different strokes, yo). But this track? Yes (the rhythm, the rebel). I’ve read that this joint was scrapped from Tha Carter III. Very ill, fo’ sho. But I think that ?uestlove put it best when he stated the following via the OKP boards:
tween this and the com jawn rell sounding like he STARVIN
like he KNOW its about to be curtains.
and i like that! cause shit is heat
but i cant help wonder if Clipse woulda ate this shit for dinner
Indeed, ?uesto. Indeed. The Clipse should get this beat onto We Got It For Cheap Vol. 4. And here’s hoping that The Neptunes keep slanging them heat rocks in the ‘09. And do I want an instrumental for this? “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.” (c) Chuck D
J_Digi's New Last.fm Album Chart Champion!
So being the geeky stats fiend that I am, I’m probably the only one that cares about this, but on my Last.fm account, since I signed up in January of 2007, my most scrobbled album has ALWAYS been J Dilla’s Donuts (and rightfully so, as it is the perfect swan song for a legendary producer who is sorely missed). Well, a couple of weeks ago, another album ended the 20 month reign that Donuts had at the top of my charts: Pharrell’s awesomely epic In My Mind.
Truth be told, if I had known about this Last.fm service in 2006, things might have turned out a bit differently for the stats. But now that I think about it, the albums I spun the most in the ‘06 were The Roots’ Game Theory, Donell Jones’ Journey Of A Gemini, and of course In My Mind and Donuts, so maybe not. Sh!t, I wish I knew about Last.fm in 2005 since that was the first full year I had an iPod (mini) and my play counts were epic. Well, I’m slowly making up for all of that now (at a constant 80 track a day clip!).
For those that don’t know, Mr. Williams wasn’t happy about In My Mind as he should have been, mostly because of the lack of sales (compared to his platinum peers, anyway) which wrongfully clouded his judgment regarding the quality of the music (the truth is that most music fans are just slow and/or stupid). Although I’ll be the first to admit that In My Mind was a flawed album, but I love it all the same as its flaws give it this honesty that is quite endearing. Regardless, some good came out of the poor soundscans, as P enlisted the help of ?uestlove and James Poyser to remix In My Mind (because he was so impressed with how sonically solid Game Theory was). This new arrangement birthed the fantastic Out Of My Mind by Pharrell & The Yessirs.
Anyways, to celebrate the new champ of my Last.fm album chart, here is my arrangement of the definitive Pharrellian solo album, taking what I feel are the best tracks from In My Mind and Out Of My Mind respectively (only one version of each track has been included), sequenced in a way that I see fit. I call this package The Ol’ In-Out Of My Mind:
- Pharrell - International Swagger
- Pharrell & The Yessirs - How Does It Feel
- Pharrell - Can I Have It Like That (Feat. Gwen Stefani)
- Pharrell & The Yessirs - Number One feat. Kanye West
- Pharrell - Raspy Shit
- Pharrell - Keep It Playa (Feat. Slim Thug)
- Pharrell & The Yessirs - Angel
- Pharrell & The Yessirs - Baby feat. Nelly
- Pharrell & The Yessirs - Young Girl
- Pharrell - That Girl (Feat. Snoop Dogg)
- Pharrell - I Really Like You
- Pharrell & The Yessirs - Take It Off
- Pharrell & The Yessirs - Creamsickle
- Pharrell - You Can Do It Too
- Pharrell - Best Friend
- Pharrell & The Yessirs - Our Father
- Pharrell - Skateboard P Presents Show You How To Hustle (Feat. Lauren)
- Pharrell & The Yessirs - Mamacita feat. Daddy Yankee
- Pharrell - Stay With Me (Dim The Lights) (Feat. Pusha T)
When deciding on which version of each track was better, there were a few close calls. In particular, That Girl, Raspy Shit and Young Girl. Also, I was originally going to upload this mix in 2 parts onto my dual Muxtape accounts. But because of the ridiculous tragedy that befelled that awesome company/service, I’m forced to simply list the mix right here. So my appy-poly-logies for that. But if you’re reading this, you probably already have all the necessary tracks to compose this playlist yourself. And if not, go out and buy In My Mind (with a choice of 3 different covers!), give P some more soundscans and maybe he’ll give us all In My Mind: The Sequel. Peace.
Here’s the full version of the Primo/Skateboard P exchange that I eluded to earlier, now in embeddable-friendly Tubes of You format. Awesome viddy!!! And now that I’ve seen the whole shebang-a-bang, I would off even more poor souls just to be in that room. And no I’m not a violent person, just passionate :)
Edit: After peeping this vid only 3 times, it has officially entered my Top 10 all-time favourite virals (a list which I still have to formally compile). The impressions were hilarious. But really though, when P started beatboxing his favourite Primo beats (the revolutionary water-pouring 2 Deep beat, in particular), it was oh-vah! *shaking my head in disbelief, just like P*
This is an example of one of those magical shootin’ the sh!t moments that you’re just thankful someone had the wherewithall to capture (thanks Quence!). 2 giants of hip hop, Preem and P (#1 and #4 on my top producer list), just kickin’ it and trading stories. So much talent in that room (I also peeped Chad in the background, just chillin’).
And Chris Brown, WTF you doing there, kid? Dance your way outta the fcuking shot! Do you have any idea of the combined catalogue of classic beatmaking that the cats you’re standing around possess? If that were me, I’d be leaning FORWARD, soaking up every word that these living legends were passionately spittin’. Sheeeeiiiiiiiit.
Edit #2: I just caught how P was addressing Primo: “Teacha. Teacha.” Wow. So fitting, indeed. The respect is lovely.My head just exploded from seeing Primo and Skateboard P in the same room, giving dap to one another while recounting a funny homophobic Busta-Bus story. I would KILL to be in that room (just tell me who and they’re gone).
Note: The short clip (via SPINE Magazine) is on sh!tty un-embeddable Quicktime, hence the link. But do check it out.
Common feat. Pharrell - Announcement
Com and The Neps’ tribute to 90’s hip hop. More specifically to mid-90’s hip hop. Even more specifically to Biggie. Dreams (of fuckin’ an R&B bitch) Biggie, to be exact. OK, I think I covered everything :) Wicked video for a wicked track. Common done gotz his dirty swagger back. See you both on September 3-0!!!
Props to Fake Shore Drive for the linkage.
Edit: I just wanna add that Pharrell’s entrance cracks me up everytime, the b-girls are really cute, and the simplicity of this video concept works perfectly. That is all.
Q-6:When you released “Frontin’” in 2003, you said that it was a one-off thing and that you were going to stick to producing. But you released a solo album. What made you change your mind about that?
My manager’s just like, “Yo, you need to do it, some people want to hear it, bla bla bla bla bla bla bla,” but y’know, the whole time, the reason why I said I wasn’t going to do it, is because I’m not a mainstream artist, y’know what I’m sayin’? And that’s when you can get mixed up, you kinda listen to the stuff and think “I’m meant to be that” when I’m not, y’know what I mean? I’m like extremely boutique, I’m a controlled, numbered edition, quality kinda person. Y’know what I’m sayin’? When it comes to, like, my gear, like Ice Cream and Billionaire Boys Club, or y’know, what I did for the sunglasses for Vuitton, I’m just kinda like, a boutique, exclusive kinda person. Now my production isn’t so exclusive because, y’know, whatever it does, when it sells, if it sells 7 million records, that’s not necessarily exclusive, y’know what I mean? But like, the mentality, the level of quality, the level of workmanship that I put into my stuff is still considered, like, boutique.
Although I don’t read AskMen.com anymore (they’ve gotten too generic with their topics IMO), I remember reading this article back in ‘06 right before In My Mind dropped (at that point, I had the advance version which had tracks on it that never made the album, as well as early versions of Clipse tracks from Hell Hath No Fury…then the IMM leak finally hit in early July). Nice little interview though; Skateboard P just shootin’ the sh!t.
And P pretty much called it that the album would under-perform sales-wise, despite its incredibly dope musical versatility. Of course I copped that ish first week (where were all a y’all in July ‘06, huh? Now he’ll never make another solo joint). Along with Donell Jones’ Journey Of A Gemini (another underrated urban gem), Pharrell’s In My Mind was my sh!t *patting chest* my sh!t for Summer ‘06 (and now it looks like it could possibly dethrone the 19-month reign of J Dilla’s Donuts as my most scrobbled album ever on Last.fm).
"Astonishment is our natural state of mind." - Paul Harris.
"Style is what an artist uses to fascinate the beholder in order to convey to him his feelings and emotions and thoughts." - Stanley Kubrick.
"Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it." - Bruce Lee.
"If ya ears hurt, you shouldn't listen. That means you artificial and my style'll poison ya brain tissue." - Black Thought
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