Fly Or Die

3/5

This was a good listen. I like their name don't know what it stands fir or represents. My 1st listen and will listen to some more.

Don’t know who this is for lol. Lame

Review - a hard one to rate because half the songs are missing off Spotify. It was more guitar heavy than I'd expected, and I'd even say I enjoyed it for the most part, but it is undeniably corny. Little vocal flourishes and backing vocals they added in are pretty cringe, wonder if that's why it's not as widely available these days. Score - 4.5/10 Need to listen? NO

So funk, I like it; despite the cover is ugly

I feel like just having one electric guitar track in a song isn't quite enough to make this "rap rock" or whatever it's called on Wikipedia. That said, the production is quite minimalistic in general and having just a guitar track besides the drum beat makes these songs feel weirdly empty. Still better than I remember this band being though, based on having to hear them on MTV and wherever back in the day. Horrible, extremely mid-00s cover too.

6.6/10

Catchy, fun, and full of life.

I've really never heard hip hop like this before. Very 2000s coded. Experimental, but still in a pop kinda way. Interesting.

Good not great

Don’t hate it, but this style of hip hop doesn’t really do much for me. 2/5

I actually hated this.

I had only heard of these guys when I would read about Pharrell Williams, had never checked them out. I liked this! Enjoyed the music and the lyrics were fantastic. I don't often return to albums in this list but I plan to do so with this one.

Fly or Die is a fascinating second album because it catches N.E.R.D. in the middle of an identity shift. Pharrell and Chad Hugo were already masters of minimalist, rhythm-driven production, but here they try to create something rougher, more organic, and less predictable. The results are uneven, yet often exhilarating. “Fly or Die” establishes the album's rock ambitions, “She Wants to Move” delivers a near-perfect pop single, and “Wonderful Place” and “Drill Sergeant” demonstrate a willingness to tackle subjects that extend beyond the group's usual playful provocations. The weaker songs prevent the album from becoming a classic from beginning to end. Some ideas are underdeveloped, some lyrics are too simplistic, and a few arrangements mistake length or aggression for depth. But the record's most successful moments reveal a group that was willing to risk losing some of its commercial polish in pursuit of a more individual sound.

Genuinely surprising and gender bending. Hadn’t heard this in a while and I really appreciated it and it’s high production values.

Pharrell was good in this

Fun beats and a different blend of music then as coming out at the time. I still prefer some of their other albums to this one though.

It was ok, but not sure why on this list. It pretty much all sounded the same.

This was a funky listen. Each track had a different sound. Kept me interested for entire album. 3.5 stars

I like the label “pop-prog”, which seems appropriate for this outfit. Creative, diverse, catchy and interesting to listen to. And of course the banger She Wants To Move. A little too many moans here and there but overall a solid album!

Honestly I think I just don’t care for Pharrell.

Not all of the songs are on Spotify weirdly so I didn’t get to listen to the whole thing. But from the 5 songs on there I’d say thrasher was my favorite, most have a decent vibe and are interesting enough though.

OK cool a hip hop rock fusion album. As a rock album it’s not great, felt very monotonous and robotic. Cool concept but not executed well. I ended up checking their previous album and felt that it worked better.

N.E.R.D.'s "Fly Or Die" is a tug-of-war between the Neptunes production, which I generally like, and Pharrell's sing-speaking manner of vocalizing, which I don't. The Neptunes built up an early lead, but Pharrell's voice unfortunately came back strong and the album swiftly lost steam as it went on. There's a number of songs here that scream for a proper singer to belt them out, rather than singing like there's a baby in the room he doesn't want to wake up. I don't think Pharrell is crazy about the sound of his voice, either, the vocals are so often pushed back in the mix.

This is better than I expected. It is really enjoyable. Not great, but definitely good. I think that it is a bit too long, and it lacks some cohesion. But, in any case, I think this is a very solid 3 star album. I enjoyed: "Don't Worry About It", "Backseat Love", "She Wants To Move", "Wonderful Place", or "Chariots Of Fire".

You know that thing when an indie rock band tries to incorporate a little hip hop in their thing and the results doesn’t sound as good as the idea probably did? This is like the opposite of that. It’s good a couple of decent tracks but, mostly meh. 3.3

Fine

First 8 songs - horrible vocals! Last 4 songs were actually pretty good and with better vocals!

Fly Or Die by Nerd feels less like a fully formed record and more like the soundtrack to a teenage Hollywood movie that was cancelled halfway through filming. There’s an unmistakable sense of youthful energy here, but unfortunately, the maturity level rarely seems to rise above the cafeteria table. At times, it sounds like the school’s rookie band has been given a recording budget and is determined to make sure absolutely everyone knows about it. The songs are loud, eager, and desperate to be noticed, like someone repeatedly raising their hand even when the teacher hasn’t asked a question. There are moments of genuine musical ambition, but they’re buried beneath an almost adolescent need to prove how cool and rebellious everything is. The attitude often feels less like authentic swagger and more like a teenager practicing their “I don’t care” face in the mirror. It has the kind of dramatic intensity that would work perfectly during a slow-motion montage of teenagers running through a high school hallway. Unfortunately, outside that imaginary movie, it can come across as rather forced. The production and performances sometimes reinforce that feeling, giving the whole thing the slightly overexcited atmosphere of a garage band that has just discovered distortion pedals. That’s not to say Fly Or Die is completely without charm. There’s enthusiasm here, and you can certainly hear a band having fun and throwing ideas at the wall. The problem is that too many of those ideas seem to have arrived wearing oversized sunglasses and demanding attention. Instead of sounding dangerous, it often sounds like it wants to be dangerous. Instead of rebellious, it can feel like rebellion with a permission slip signed by Mom. Ultimately, Fly Or Die is an energetic but immature album that occasionally mistakes attitude for substance. It reminded me less of a groundbreaking rock record and more of the nerdy school band desperately trying to become legendary before graduation. Maybe that was the point, but if so, they nailed the teenage part a little too well. Fly or die? More like grow up or go home.

I wanted to like this much more than I did. Ive been falling in love with Pharrell's earlier catalogue recently and I really enjoyed NERD's 2017 album but this just felt all over. Favorite Songs: She Wants to Move, Thrasher

mehhh pretty weak songs to me. Not unlistenable and I like these guys but I feel like they also have better records.

Wednesday, 7 October, 2026 This was at best an “ok” album. At worst it was terrible. Their first record is way better and the Neptunes is better!

I actually did not know Pharrell did rock music before hitting it big in the 2010s as a solo artist. I had heard of N.E.R.D. through the song "Spaz" but was a virgin to the experience of listening to an album from them. A couple really great instrumentals, some good melodies, but lyrics are all over the map- often a little too corny. Like a worse Gorillaz.

This was a miss for me. The Neptunes were undoubtedly an influential production outfit, but this album really doesn't show them at their best in my opinion. Maybe it's simply that the music feels quite dated at this point, or that it's their production is better as a complement to other, better artists.

I find this album's inclusion on this list deeply confusing. It's all over the place. I get that's maybe part of the appeal, but it just does all the genres it dives into so poorly. It feels like a disservice to hip-hop, alt-rock, and jazz. It's sonically combative and it doesn't offer a ton lyrically. It's clearly well produced. I'd never heard of this group before, other than recognizing Pharrell's voice in there. There were occasional songs I didn't mind as much, but the one's I hated, I really hated. And unfortunately, it was most of them. There'd be little breaks where it felt cohesive with a good sound, like the song The Way She Dances or the hidden track in Chariot of Fire. I can think of several other albums that aren't on this list that could absolutely replace this one.

Nah.

No private session used for Spotify. I listened to this a couple of times, seemed completely unremarkable and forgettable.

Had a friend in college who LOVED these guys. I never really understood it. It’s somewhat unique. But mostly forgettable.

I don't know who thought this was a good idea. Half-baked ideas coalesce into a shambling, generic rap-rock hybrid that for some reason also has the Madden brothers from Good Charlotte on a track. Stick to producing.

Mwoah, het schommelt tussen (soms) heel lekker en (vaker) middelmatig

leuk

Mashing up genres like this can get messy, but sometimes it creates something incredibly unique. I'd argue that this album is both messy and unique, and it's much better for that. There are a lot of big swings here and I think a few of them are misses (and some of the metaphors are even more strained than the ones I typically reach for in my reviews), but I think every track has at least something interesting to offer on the musical front. After realizing that Pharrell Williams is the lead, a lot of this album makes more sense. It's overall a pretty fun time and I would definitely listen again. Favorite track: "'Wonderful Place' / 'Waiting for You'"

This album parodies a bunch of crappy musical genres, tropes, and artists. The guys are talented enough to 100% nail the parody. And oftentimes it's pretty funny. But the problem with intentionally copying shitty music is that, if you get right, your music also has to be shitty. ....ok, wait I spent some time researching this. I expected some breakdowns about the cleverness of the parody. Nope, this was all for real. Pharrell has later back peddled, made excuses, and apologized, but mostly made excuses. This dropped from a 2-3 to a 1 star.

Eh...kind of a had to be there thing I think. It was awesome in the day tho.

Better than expected but nothing great

So nostalgic, great production as expected. Beats and arrangement carry.. really short album otherwise.

Listened before? No Familiar with the artist? Yes Thoughts: - I really can't understand how some of these albums could be a "must listen" for anyone. There's nothing particularly bad about this one (maybe a few lyrics), but nothing about it was interesting or memorable either.

Ni es mi estilo de musica pero supero expectativas

PSP ad music, Pharrell is the master of making music that has no fuckin progression. He is a good producer, but he somehow makes every song he writes and performs on feel times as long as it actually is. Every song is like - "hey that was a fun song... What do you mean it pretty much loops and that was just the first minute?"

An interesting mix of rock and rap, not quite my thing but it was interesting to listen to and I respect it

I don't like Pharrell's solo work, so I was skeptical going into Fly or Die, but I honestly loved it. I want to check out the rest of N.E.R.D.'s catalog now.

This one was a nice surprise. I hadn't heard them before and, with that name, wasn't expecting much. This is a hooky, infectious album that, though pretty slight lyrically, is filled with great melodies and interesting arrangements. I liked pretty much all of it and had to listen to "She Wants to Move "twice I liked it so much. Weirdly enough, some songs remind me of XTC or Squeeze with their song structures and inventiveness. Some real pop smarts from these guys.

Mixed bag. It sounds great, probably because of Pharell's talents as a producer. But the lyrics on this are mostly fuckin lame, and it's so early 2000s, aged very poorly. A fine listen but not one i care to hear again

Very mid-00s

You could hear the Pharrell influence. Not bad but not really my style. 5/10

Punky groovy!!!!

Pharrell. That guy knows how to make some pop music. This album though? Full of too much of what every rock/pop fusion record in the mid 2000's was full of - clunk. Electric guitars just clunking along. Drumming that gets a a failing grade. Pharrell is a great frontman though. Songs 2 & 3 have great little pictures painted. Lots of representing what it feels like to be a displaced kid growing up. "Drill Sergeant" is a particularly fascinating version of Pharrell speaking in his coming of age voice, just specifically about the war in Iraq. Fly Or Die is technically rock/pop/fusion, but it has a backpack rap spirit. The ideas are aplenty, but the execution is rarely there. Firm 2/5

How did this get onto the list? Very ordinary.

Fun

These guys walked so Andre 3000 could...ground into a double play.

(5.9)

Bland derivative rap

Bit of a guilty pleasure album im thinking (still not very good to be clear), trashy lyrics but its pretty fun and groovy. Standouts are Don’t Worry About It, She Wants To Move, Breakout and Drill Seargent.

It grew on me a bit while i was listening, but it was very forgettable

Not my thing

I don’t know a huge amount about N.E.R.D, but based on the singles I would’ve thought “In Search Of…” would be the album here. “Fly Or Die” kind of left me underwhelmed.

Interesting, raw, kind of swing-y sometimes, had the classic “She Wants to Move”.

I dunno about this one. A thing of it's time.

This album is really good but the fact that N.E.R.D.'s first album " In search of.." is not on this list is the biggest miss that I have seen so far ( about 300 albums in) but I am sure there will be many more miss' by the time I get done this list. Anyways, this is a 4 most days but I am sour about no "In search of.." so minus one star.

Well, I didn't know Pharrell was in this, so I got to add that to my lore. It's fun hearing what would grow into his sound, but it's not something where I'm coming back for more

Album sympa, mais sans plus (la cover de l'album est horrible)

Some cool stuff on this record. Like hip hop Steely Dan.

I really love N.E.R.D. and I love that this is one here. The song with the Good Charlotte brothers is so awesome

that was legitness

Not a fan of this

The album sounds quite dated.

Yeah really not impressive but thinks it is

Fairly cool band, not sure if there’re hi Hop or not really, but decent songs

Feels like a weird hodgepodge. Not a fan of the split tracks.

4/10 Pretty poor

it's funky, but I can't get into the vocals

This is a pretty fun album It isn’t anything crazy impressive but when it comes to hip hop there’s a lot worse and this album kept me pretty entertained 3/5 Favorites: drill sergeant

Her ass is a spaceship I want to ride

This is a tough one. The production is great, it’s Pharrell. But, I can’t tell if this is serious, or just a joke. “Her ass is a spaceship I want to ride”, and “like the Michelin man, she swam with such might”. You lose a star for that alone. Still, they returned to this band over several decades, maybe it was genuine.

Never heard of this or knew Pharrell and the 757 guys had this project. Not my normal genre but really not too bad.

I’m a bit corrupted because I used to listen to this album a lot when I was younger. Back then it seemed like it had everything. Now it seems a bit disjointed. There are still some absolute bangers though

Reasonably fun

Još veći užas od zadnjeg užasa. 1/5, 1/10

Very 2000s - it's both its strength and weakness

I wanted this album to be better. N.E.R.D. and Pharrell Williams were such MASSIVE influences on the sound of Hip Hop in the early 21st century that I really wanted this to be a banger. In reality, it's ok, but honestly a bit forgettable. It's like they saved all of their best stuff for other people. It's sad Williams and Hugo are beefing. They really did some great things together.

Nää

Finde ich ziemlich lahm, hatte ich energiegeladener bzw. grooviger in Erinnerung.

Not terrible

I missed these guys. Zoom……who, what, where?!? Yep, they missed. It seems like a lot of these rap/hiphop titles are forced. There is no way these guys deserve to be on this list, but sadly, PC infiltrates everything.

When I first listened to this yesterday I was feeling like it was giving me Despicable Me soundtrack vibes and then today my brother told me that Pharrell is in N.E.R.D. lol. (For those that don't know, Pharrell wrote songs for most of the Despicable Me). I enjoyed this!

Some parts went pretty hard. Some, were kinda just meh. They have an interesting sound, overall.

I appreciate that they fucked around and found out with this one, but I am very much not surprised that they are no longer together. The rock aspect of this album is very watered down, with some Pharrel singing/ rapping? On top. I just don't think they mesh very well, its sitting in this sort of liminal space between many genres, reaching for each of them but not really fully grasping any of them. I'm not fully through the album yet as I write this (about half way through), but I would be SHOCKED if it improved dramatically in the remaining songs on here. But hey maybe Pharrel will make me eat my words... (doubtful)

mmmmm i'd have to give it another try

Love the opening song. This album is 2004 in a perfect nostalgic way for me personally. I really enjoy this album. Would I have ever picked it up on my own? Definitely not. But it's fun, it's what I want. It just feels good to me.

I liked this a lot! I always thought NERD was a rap group, but they apparently were much more! it definitely made me want to move.