Fly Or Die

In their wisdom, the Powers That Be seem to have decided that much of this album is too rude for the delicate ears of the proletariat. Which is a shame because the 5 tracks we're allowed are pretty good. A nice combination of rap and pop that goes down quite well on a scorching London morning. An extra star to stick it to The Man. 4*

This was awesome N.E.R.D. is awesome. Pharrell did so much for the time and this stuff I think has aged the best. As pop music transitioned more maximalist into hyperpop the creativity and complexity has aged very well. This was nearly a 5 but as it stands just a tremendous pop album.

Pharell is involved, so you can of course count on great, creative, genre-bending production and quality sound engineering. This is pretty much a funk-rock record in sound but a hip hop record in spirit. You have lyrics about skateboarding, fashion, money and so on but all wrapped in funk grooves and guitar-based instrumentation. Pretty funny combination but if someone could pull it off it's definitely Pharell. Backseat Love and Thrasher are not that good, but the rest of the album is banging.

Turns out there’s actually a good way to make rap-rock. Some new wave, some soul. Occasionally sounds like the British punk band Wire. I mean that as a great compliment.

Interesting blend of pop rock and hip hop full of fun beats and riffs

7/10

**Fly Or Die** (released March 23, 2004) is N.E.R.D.'s second studio album and arguably their most ambitious statement—a bold fusion of rock, hip-hop, funk, and pop that saw Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Shae Haley stepping out from behind the production desk to actually play the instruments themselves. Two decades later, it remains a fascinating, divisive, and influential document of the Neptunes at their most experimental. --- ## Overview & Context After their 2001 debut *In Search Of…*—which famously used the rock band Spymob to perform their compositions—N.E.R.D. took a different approach for the follow-up. They learned to play their own instruments, lending the album a heavier, rawer rock influence and a sense of creative freedom that became palpable throughout the record . As one retrospective put it, "By learning the instruments themselves, they unlocked a level of freedom that became palpable throughout *Fly or Die*" . The result is an album that refuses to sit comfortably in any single genre. It is, as NME noted, "still, more or less, a hip-hop record: the nuts and bolts are there, the hefty bass, the beats that thunder like rutting mastodons. But over and above the jeep beats, there is Williams and his wonderful world of whims and why-not?s, painting almost every track in glorious technicolour" . --- ## Production & Music ### The Sound The production on *Fly Or Die* is its defining characteristic. The Neptunes' signature sound—Williams' streaking falsetto atop deep-pocket boom—is reimagined through a rock lens, with chattering drums, bulky basslines, and genuinely enjoyable riffs all linked by a tangibly funky vibe . The album incorporates elements of: - **Hard rock and punk** ("Don't Worry About It," "Fly or Die") - **Funk and G-funk** ("Backseat Love," "Breakout") - **Swing and jazz** (fleeting but present in tracks like "The Way She Dances") - **Psychedelia** ("Wonderful Place") - **Pop-punk** ("Jump" featuring Good Charlotte) The production is deliberately raw and "tinny," which mirrors old-school hip-hop sensibilities and eschews processed beats for enjoyably tuneful instrumentation . This gives the album a ragged self-awareness that wasn't as noticeable on their debut. ### Standout Musical Moments - **"Don't Worry About It"** opens the album with "gigantic hard rock" that suddenly explodes into "a rapturous, harmony-saturated break that Prince at his most Paisley Park would struggle to best" . - **"She Wants To Move"** became the album's biggest single, built on thunderous bass and rapid string strumming that "will rock clubs" . - **"Drill Sergeant"** is described as "an absolutely fantastic guitar pop record" that "sounds just like the N.E.R.D at their most sunshined-up and effervescent" . - **"Maybe"** features contributions from ?uestlove of The Roots and Lenny Kravitz, rendering it "one of the neatest and most digestible on the album" despite Pharrell's intermittent vocal pitch struggles . --- ## Lyrics & Themes ### Adolescent Rebellion and Anti-Authority The dominant thematic thread running through *Fly Or Die* is adolescence—specifically, the frustration, rebellion, and confusion of late teenage years. The title track explicitly frames this conflict: "Mommy, Daddy, I know you love me / Bad grades, Playstation, restrictions, you take it from me" before asking, "Will it be fly or die, sink or swim / Which one shall I choose?" . The album explores rebellion and anti-authority messages, setting "anarchist tunes to undeniable musicianship" . Songs like "Breakout" careen between pastoral motifs and tantrum-like threats to "Push people!" , while "Thrasher" borrows from Queens of the Stone Age's sonic palette . ### Sex, Voyeurism, and Immaturity A significant portion of the album deals with sex and desire, though not always with nuance. Tracks like "Backseat Love," "She Wants To Move" ("Her ass is a spaceship I want to ride"), and "The Way She Dances" find Pharrell slipping into a "sweaty-palmed voyeuristic lecher character" that NME found uncomfortable: "It's like, okay, we get it, you like looking at women, particularly sexy ones! Now get back to writing choruses that make us want to start riots!" . ### Psychedelia and Escapism "Wonderful Place" stands out for its vivid storytelling and whimsical tones, exploring "the symptoms of a psychedelic trip" with imagery of "moving wallpaper and sparring fruit" that sounds like "a real-life conversation between two first-time stoners" . The track's hidden follow-up "Waiting For You" adds a personal, almost spiritual dimension. ### Social Commentary (Attempted) "Drill Sergeant" attempts social commentary, though critics were divided on its effectiveness. One reviewer hoped it was "some sort of inside joke rather than an actual attempt at social commentary as that is in no way their strong suit" . Another called it "one of the worst 'protest' songs I've ever heard and sounds like it was made by a 15 year old who has never read a book but has heard of a few" . --- ## Influence & Legacy *Fly Or Die* occupies a unique space in the Neptunes' catalog and in early-2000s music more broadly: ### Genre-Bending Precedent The album's fearless blending of rock, hip-hop, funk, and pop created a template that would influence countless artists in the following decades. As Glide Magazine noted in a 20th anniversary retrospective, "If you ask any artist doing any sort of innovation today, they can trace their inspiration back to Pharrell Williams—more specifically, his highly influential work with Chad Hugo and Shay Haley as N.E.R.D." . The album "morphed the worlds of rock and hip-hop like never before by introducing electronic production elements with the band's keen sense of infectious melodies and relatable songwriting" . ### Raw Aesthetic Influence The decision to play their own instruments and embrace a rawer, less polished sound proved influential for the DIY and bedroom-pop movements that would emerge in the 2010s. As one modern listener noted, "The sounds derived in a small VA studio drastically affected the sounds of the 2010s & 20s" . ### The "Grower" Reputation The album has developed a cult following over time. Many listeners who dismissed it initially have come to appreciate its idiosyncrasies. As one reviewer put it, "I feel like this should not sound this good. It almost sounds bad and quirky. I don't know how they do it but it ends up hitting" . Another called it "the equivalent of a girl who had no clue how beautiful she was and then one day she finally understands she's the baddest bitch" . --- ## Critical Reception Contemporary reviews were mixed to positive. NME praised its "incendiary choruses, megaton blasts of heavy metal noise and gleeful generic bastardisations" , while PopMatters and others appreciated its ambition. However, Slate delivered a notably harsh critique, arguing that the album "indulges the doldrums of late adolescence" in "hackneyed, closed-off terms" and that "the album's token teen character is portrayed in hackneyed, closed-off terms—there is no equilibrium or adolescent self-conflict, only emotions and sounds cribbed from MTV" . User reviews remain deeply polarized—some call it "criminally underrated" and "an early 21st Century masterpiece," while others find it "aggressively mediocre" and "dated and emotionally immature" . --- ## Pros & Cons | **Pros** | **Cons** | |----------|----------| | **Fearless genre fusion** — Successfully blends rock, hip-hop, funk, and pop in ways few were attempting in 2004 | **Emotional immaturity** — Lyrics often feel like they're "cribbed from MTV," portraying teenage angst in one-dimensional terms | | **Raw, live instrumentation** — The band learning to play their own instruments gives the album an organic, liberated energy | **Inconsistent depth** — Attempts at social commentary ("Drill Sergeant") fall flat; sex songs can feel juvenile and lecherous | | **Infectious melodies and hooks** — Tracks like "She Wants To Move" and "The Way She Dances" are undeniably catchy | **Vocal limitations** — Pharrell's voice sometimes struggles with the rock material, and his falsetto isn't for everyone | | **Ambitious arrangements** — From Beatles-esque harmonies to Sgt. Pepper-esque string arrangements, the production is rarely boring | **Lack of cohesion** — The genre-hopping can feel like showing off rather than serving a unified vision; "it feels for all the world that it is celebrating, above all else, the collective's ability to turn their hand to any musical style they choose" | | **Influential legacy** — Helped pave the way for genre-fluid artists in hip-hop and alternative music | **Some tracks are underdeveloped** — "Wonderful Place" is described as "dull" and a "severe misfire" by some critics ; the album "never manages to transcend its boundaries" | | **Genuine fun and energy** — Even critics acknowledge the album's sense of playfulness and joy | **Aged sonically** — Some listeners find the early-2000s production "corny" and the drum mixing overly loud | --- ## Verdict *Fly Or Die* is not a perfect album, but it is a *fearless* one. It captures a specific moment of creative growth for three producers who decided to become a band, learning their instruments as they went and refusing to let genre boundaries constrain them. While its lyrical preoccupations with teenage rebellion and sexual voyeurism can feel immature, and its genre-hopping occasionally sacrifices cohesion for spectacle, the album's best moments—"Don't Worry About It," "She Wants To Move," "Maybe," "Drill Sergeant"—remain as vibrant and infectious as anything in the Neptunes' catalog. As Glide Magazine concluded on its 20th anniversary: "Twelve songs were jam-packed with risks that paid off in a display of technicolored melodies and fusing genres like never before" . Whether you find it brilliant or obnoxious, *Fly Or Die* demands to be heard—and its influence on the shape of modern genre-fluid music is undeniable.

I wasn’t really familiar with N.E.R.D. going in, but I recognized Pharrell’s voice almost immediately. This album is such a peak 2003 time capsule. The guitar parts all over it are awesome. It also cracked me up seeing the Madden brothers pop up on a track, because that is about as 2003 as it gets. The whole thing has a great mix of rap, rock, funk, and pop. Favorite song: "Fly of Die"

I liked this. Different vibe.

Well produced rock rap. Inject it into my veins

love NERD. Lots of great features, too.

Good energy, well paced, and just a fun album.

This was a surprise. Sounding both eccentric and eclectic, these guys blend funk, rock and hip-hop in a way that I haven't come across before. Lenny Kravitz plays guitar on selected tracks and the guitar work is as funky as you can expect. On other tracks, the band play instruments that they've only recently started playing. This gives the album a raw element on an otherwise polished record. On 'Jump' they enlist the brothers from Good Charlotte and get something that's more interesting than the majority of that band's discography! I only really know of Pharrell Williams for the big pop hits and I never really cared for them, but this record showed me what a talent he is. He has an excellent voice that can be both playful and soulful. Don't let the atrocious album art fool you, this is actually quite good!

the "Waiting for You" hidden track really fucks up the vibe.

Catchy, sharply produced, funky and rocking in equal measures… but a little bit too silly/ lightweight for its own durability

Great listen, odd but fun mix of rap, pop, and r&b

Highlights: Don't You Worry About It, Fly or Die, Backseat Love, She Wants to Move, Drill Sergeant, Thrasher Expected a bop and got something okay. The record is a great time mostly thanks to the production. Very trailblazing for it's time. However, it often dragged on a bit. There are some songs that are just too long, and others that are a bit too low energy for my liking. But yeah, overall it was a good one, but it could have been a bit better.

1001 albums to hear before you some kusic produced by the neptunes 60# I feel like this is the Tribe called quest from the 2 thousands. Just some guys having fun trying out a new sound with difficult to catch inspirations. Pharrell, is this where he started? Cul start I feel like this should not sound this good. It almost sounds bad and quirky. I don't know how they do it but it ends up hitting

This album is very hard to rate from an unbiased perspective or without context. I get what the critics say about the unmixed, bedroom sound. But the sounds derived in a small VA studio drastically affected the sounds of the 2010s &20s. Even if I were listening to this in a vacuum, it'd be clear to me that this band has something. They mix genres that hadn't been considered before, and serve as a link between modern pop & hip-hop. I get what the haters tho about it's lack of cohesion, though. It's the only reason I can't give it a 5. Highlights: Maybe, Drill Sergeant

The odd melding of soul and hip hop. Most of this was really fun sounds. 3.5

I am a nerd so I guess that explains the positive rating

I forget NERD exists, it's happened more than once, and I'm always pleasantly surprised to rediscover them. This is a fun album, almost impossible not to dance along with. It's a good mood album, there aren't enough of these around. I've had a fun afternoon with it. Can't wait until I forget then re-remember NERD again.

I’d never heard any of these songs, but they were so fun!!

Very interesting for the time it was made.

Day 217 Some excellent production here, really good album Highlights Fly or Die The way she dances

What do you mean that's Pharrell Williams

More rock-y than I expected, it was a pretty good listen.

fun

I judged this book by its cover and avoided it for decades. Big mistake. This is Pharrell Williams. This is rock, flavored with soul and a hip hop backbeat. This is what OutKast should have been. This is a band with a name worse than Toad The Wet Sprocket.

Okay, interested to see how this lands only knowing their hits and also reading about the eclecticism in the reviews. Let’s go… I enjoy the playful and varied nature of the whole thing. It’s quite experimental and hard to pin down, but respect them for doing that. I’m not really sure how to score it, because it’s not knocking my socks of, but I value it for what it is 🤷🏻‍♂️

I forgot all about N.E.R.D. This album is great, it's smooth, lyrical and cleverly written.

Better than I expected. Didn't blow me away, but it's worthy of a spot in the list. Some soulful tracks, good musically and fun to boot. Not really my thing, but it's well done. 4

really creative, experimental and fun 4.5

This was a very enjoyable album! Knowing Pharrell was in this and the time it came out in, I was thinking it might be oriented towards pop, or maybe hip hop, but this ended up surprising me completely and going in a rock direction. This album is very stylistically eclectic, which makes it interesting, but its not so out in left field that its still very fun and light hearted. Very cool.

This is wonderfully eclectic. I had no idea about this album/artist before, so I'll have to explore. It's wild that they learned to play their instruments for this album! You wouldn't know. Liked Songs Added: Don't Worry About It Backseat Love Maybe The Way She Dances Chariot Of Fire/Find My Way

Great album. Most things Pharrell puts out is usually a pleasure to listen too. I’ve enjoyed NERD’s music for a while now, however not really touched on this album much. It’s great how multi genre NERD are and how they have a no boundaries approach to their production on records. There’s distortion, rocky riffs and licks, hip hop elements, jazz elements, pop elements and all done in a way that ensures quality from track to track. The experimental aspects is definitely what draws me in to their work and the quality is what makes me stay. I really do enjoy Pharrells voice too, very smooth and compliments every track and obviously the addition of Lenny Kraviz is a bonus. Favourite tracks are: ‘Fly Or Die’, ‘Jump’, ‘She Wants To Move’, and ‘Drill Sergant’.

fun, well arranged, lyrics tend a little eeeh but i can only grab about half of em so we'll call it a draw. vocals are good tho, and the hook writing is in full force.

Love this album! I know there’s some bias though. As a young black teenager when this came out, this album was pivotal to show there’s more to music. Really opened my mind. It still hits for me today. But may be one of those things where you just had to be there when it dropped to appreciate it.

Respect but minimal enjoyment.

It was pretty good! More rock influence than I expected.

I’m going to guess that this album won’t be popular with the group but I always loved NERD and I think this album is great.

4.6

Validé car ce groupe est sous côté à mon sens. Les débuts de Pharell Williams (batteur dans ce groupe) Diversifié musicalement, bien produit ! Il y en a que j’apprécie moins mais c’est cool

Très cool, assez original, des sonorités que j'aime bien !

Didn't age at all, what a production

Such a killer, eclectic bop of a record. How I yearn for a pre "Happy" Pharrell. An easy 4/5 for me.

What a good time. Did not expect this to be so guitar oriented lol

This one surprised me! I actually liked a lot of these songs

très agréable, sympa

C'est le groupe de Pharell Williams wesh la dingz. Et c'était franchement très sympa

This honestly surprised me. Most N.E.R.D. tracks I heard over the years didn’t grab me, but this was fantastic. First track was a little weak but then every track after pretty much hit. Favorites were “Maybe,” “Fly or Die,” and the 3 with hidden tracks. Definitely innovative and different, especially for the time.

mostly kind of slid off me tbh but still a positive impression. i legit had never heard of this Neptunes As Funk Rock project until i got this but apparently thats My Problem since they had decent hits and even an rym bolded album (hilariously Not present in the 1001 book). the genres and cover art had me bracing for obnoxious novelty but if anything it makes a bit Too Much sense...like yea, thats funk rock with all the flavors and strengths u'd expect from the talent involved! a few Horrible Lapses In Taste could have made it a bit more memorable all things considered. its still fun though and weirdly lowly rated on rym

Quite surprised to learn that Pharrell Williams was in NERD, presumed he was a soloist. Really like the composition of Fly Or Die, weirdly downbeat and upbeat at the same time. She Wants To Move was massive. Can't really fault it for the genre.

A more complex album than I anticipated

This was awesome! Not a bad track and I really dig the vibe of the rock/hip-hop/R&B mashup. Great stuff.

A dam 7/10, bo mnie ten taki taneczny/popowy rap nawet kupuje. Nie była to wielka muzyka dla ambitnych słuchaczy, ale bawiłam się przednio.

Pleasant but I can only listen to so much Pharrell

The “musical ideas” sound tossed out to support the “clever” songwriting. So it would seem the intention was to create a novelty record. But it isn’t the slightest

Always a fan of the variety of sound Pharrell and NERD bring.

Pharrell and team definitely know how to make catchy songs. It was a lot more rock and roll than I expected too.

What an interesting album. This was not what I was expecting at all. Like a mix of funk/soul, hip hop and pop rock. This is my first introduction to NERD, and from this album I can hear the potential and I feel like there’s probably better music in their discography.

Overall Rating - 3.63/5 (7.25/10). Solid album. Kind of a hip-hop rock fusion, that's very pleasant and fun.

This album is really good, but it’s never been one I put in the revered status many give it. I think it’s super fun, but it never clicks to the point I would say someone has to hear it before they die.

Pharrell’s involvement definitely shines through in its genre bending acid rap/jazz/rock stylings. Truly something unique and unexpected with collaborations from all over the map. I mean, I was not expecting a Good Charlotte appearance, but here we are. Part war protest album, part party anthem, part philosophical musings, the lyrics take you on a journey through a mid-aughts mindset and world. The mixing and instruments give an order to their chaos as they sing from the heart and speak their truth.

Cool genre-bending album! We’ll see if I go back to it, but enjoyed it for sure.

Period piece. Extremely early-to-mid 2000s. I have referenced EA Sports core for a few other albums. This is EA Sports BIG (the studio for the NFL/NBA street and SSX games) core. It's got a little more hip hop/urban soul than the punchy, rock-ey EA Sports soundtrack albums. But it's still got that consistent energy throughout that makes it perfect for an NFL player selection menu in NFL street or snowboarding radio in SSX. Bad album cover but good album.

Fun! I wish I had more to say, but yeah. Fun stuff.

Really liked this! First half was definitely stronger but I may listen again.

Digga det! Aldri tenkt over nerd før men kult!

This was really cool. Something unique and very different from the rest of its time. A worthwhile listening

a tiny bit prince/funky (to begin with anyway lol) help theres too many 4 stars

I think I like this one a lot?

N.E.R.D. was on my radar back when I was in high school. Unfortunately, music was harder for me to get access to, so only ever heard one album by them and it was not this one. I've since forgotten about it honestly, but I liked this one a lot. Glad to have finally gotten to listen to more of them.

Pretty interesting. I’d never heard of this album (or group) before. I like the funk-rock influences. If I could give half stars it would be 3 1/2.

This is why I do this project!

didnt know pharrel was in there

This feels like a 3.5 which I've rounded to 4 because it piqued my interest. Pharrell's voice verges on brilliance/frat boy trying to sound cool. There's a formula, but it sounded fresh (and it was definitely fresh at the time). Also shout out to Pharrell's production skills and solo album which are amazing.

fun album!!! was shakin’ my ass the whole time!

New to me: surprisingly fun

Amazing album and I’ve loved it since it landed in 2004.

Overall: 7/10 I never would have listened to this if I'd never decided to do this, mostly because I think of Pharrell as the "Happy" guy and I hate that song. As the first song came on though, I knew I wasn't getting that side of him with this album. Which makes sense, since he's not the only person involved in the making of this album. This is honestly more of a rock album than a hip hop album and I didn't expect that at all. There's also elements of r&b which I found interesting. Pharrell's biggest strength is easily his voice, he's an incredibly talented singer and I could never get tired of his voice (unless he's singing Happy, of course). While I didn't love it, I'm glad I got to listen to this album and I'll be checking out more of their stuff now. Fav Song: Maybe

I don't typically listen to this kind of music, but this was pretty decent.

honestly wasnt bad 4

Esto estuvo muy bien. Tardé en conectar, me estaba gustando una que otra, pero de pronto llegó trancazo tras trancazo y terminé pasándola increíble. Muy buen disco.

Pharell is great in a band formation, enjoyed the guitars and the pop melodies on this one. It's funny how it's sort of hip-hop like but more like pop/rock really.

Early Pharrell, wonderful. A very solid album that I have unfortunately never heard before. He is easily one of the greatest producers of all time. And I just can't hate on him, except for some of his solo work, this unlike some of that solo work is a fantastic album. I also will always be grateful to him for introducing us all to Maggie Rogers!

Rock-Rap Kombi. Irgendwie lustig zu hören, die Kombi ist interessant. 3-4/5

Never heard of them before. Will definitely be finding some more of their music. Loved their vibe.

The titular song was great - breezy and boppy and fun. We really enjoyed this album, though perhaps the first half was stronger and more cohesive than the second.

Remember back in the early 2000s when everything sounded like The Neptunes or NERD or Pharrell? This is actually them, and it’s much better and more varied than anything they produced for others. Love the prog influence and nerd culture references (hence the name of the band?) 4⭐️

Not sure what I listened to but I liked it! This is a quite unique sound. 4.1

OK don't hate me, but I had no idea this was Pharrell's first band. I wasn't too into the rap-rock scene in the early 2000s, but I really liked this!

Este álbum me sorprendió. Una energía rockera, pero con muchas atmósferas de pop, hip-hop y funk. Una gran calidad de producción y mucha variedad de propuestas. Tal vez esa variedad de propuestas es lo que también pesa negativamente en el álbum. Podría haber sido una mejor experiencia de escucha si hubiesen descartado algunos de los temas. Por momentos los estilos entre temas pasan a ser demasiado disímiles, además de que varios de estos son excesivamente largos. Aún así lo considero un muy buen álbum. No sabía de la existencia de la banda, ni tampoco sabía que Pharrell Williams había era parte de ella.

This was weird. Good weird, but weird nonetheless. I only knew She Wants To Move going into this listen - nobody in the history of music has said the word "sexy" with anywhere close to that level of drama - and I genuinely didn't know what to expect. I particularly liked Breakout and Thrasher, but I enjoyed pretty much all of it and would absolutely listen to it again. I am frustrated that Wikipedia did not explain why two members of Good Charlotte ended up on a track (Jump), but shout out to the Genius contributor who annotated the line "Now I'm in with the - negotiator" from Fly or Die with: "The negotiator is now helping the teen with his problems, who is now on the verge of ending it all. Let's hope the negotiator is skilled at his job, like Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon 1 (when he saves the guy from killing himself by jumping off a roof)." I surprised myself with how much I liked this. 4/5

this made me nostalgic and it's still so vibey omg. i love a long song you know me...

Funky, fluide, parfois intime et sensuel, souvent ironique.

Super interesting rap pop vibe. It’s rap but not but disco & funky I like it. Never heard of this artist. Feels like the album splits multiple genres into one

They said this was hip-hop. Everywhere I looked said this was hip-hop. What the fuck are they talking about. There were elements of rock, jazz, R&B, and lots of other genres, but I don’t think a single part made me think hip-hop. Given the mixture of all those genres, though, it made for a very unique sounding album and I enjoyed it happily. It was just a delight. Kind of long, but really very fulfilling. 4/5

Fun album with a lot of variety, even if a lot of it is by the numbers. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

interesting mix of genres, certainly not what i expected when i saw pharrell. if all of his music was like this id probably like it more. some of the ideas feel a little half baked but overall pretty enjoyable

Pretty fun and dynamic rap/pop/rock album. Lyrics don't always hit home, but the latter half of the album has some incredible beats and instrumentation to make up for it.

Not what expected, didn’t really look at the cover at first and so was expecting straight hip hop, ya know 3 guys, stars n stripes etc. Should have noticed the Vulcan live long…, it’s more its pop, rock n funk influences, can hear the Prince influence, and 70s funk in there. It doesn’t sit in one place And all the better for it, will definitely listen to again, pleasant surprise 4 Star.

Det her var en positiv overraskelse. Jeg kendte selvfølgelig She Wants To Move, men resten var ukendte perler for mig. Hemmelig nummer finten var også et dejligt throwback.

Cover 6 Interesting and different. In a good way. Didn't know Pharrell Williams was part of this group. Cool.

I just started listening and I thought this kind of sucked but Drill Sergeant isn't bad and got me to give it a shot. Wait, what? This is Pharrell? It's crazy that he was doing this before the Arby's hat. I'm kind of amazed how much I wasn't hearing by background listening to it. What is going on. Why is Lenny Kravitz in here. This does make sense to be on the list. It's interesting and for sure is trying to be unique in the approach. This album led to a rabbit hole and now I'm a huge fan of Pharrell as a person. The Nardwuar interview talking about Carl Sagan is better than this album.

Terrible album cover. Sounds like it's influenced by Bowie, Queen and Prince at times. Some interesting stuff, variety, but sonically gels. Pharrell has shown he and the people he works with understand how to craft a song for the main stream. I like that this feels a little more off the path.

NERD brought the original funk before Pharrell went full Hollywood.

“Maybe” is an incredible song

Honestly, I enjoyed that far more than I expected to.

Hip-hop-y but not too much, I enjoyed it

Didn’t know these until this album was selected. Pleasantly surprised by what I heard here. One I’ve added to my

Liked this band when they broke through in my college years. Expertly tapping into a whole host of genres. Lots of fun.

Have semi-heard of this group, but never really listened to their album before. I actually got into this one, and that prompted me to check out their debut album which is pretty amazing and I like that one more than this one. 3.5/5 stars = 4.

funky stuff. 3.5 rounding up

This was pretty crazy - I'd never heard these guys before and just slightly familiar with Pharrell's bigger later works so no idea what to expect here which ... I'm still not sure how to categorize it - is it rock? it's not really rap-rock... some fusion? some jazz elements? Next generation P-Funk disciples? Who cares - the music was great - never predictable, organic instruments with a 21st century modern sound (which despite a few overly in-the-can type mixing moments that took me out of the flow a bit) worked perfectly. Negatives: I noticed the lyrics and while they're not terrible ... I noticed them. Seemed a throwaway on a lot of tunes, and maybe that's not fair -there's a uniqueness to the music that maybe didn't or wouldn't lend itself to anything deeply introspective or cosmic or or or. Idk, I'm not the lyrics guy, stop asking me. Seems hypocritical for me to criticize the lyrics and after a 2nd listen I realize they bug me *because* they distract me from how complex and interesting these musical arrangements are. I'm willing to ignore them for the most part. TL;DR: Definitely unique, felt a little long in the tooth after a while but very worthy of a listen. Wavering between 3 and 4, probably would listen again - after looking at some my other 3s I'm feeling like I should be more generous here... 7/10 4 stars.

8/10

8/10 so distinctly Pharrell-ian, it makes you wonder what the other two guys are doing here

All songs are nearly great, but not quite. Production is good. I can understand why people like it. Favorite song: breakout.

I remember liking this a lot more in high school. Some songs have aged exceptionally well. Others….

i'm familiar with N.E.R.D by way of "In Search Of..." and "NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES." i've haven't heard their other albums yet, including this one Don't Worry About It - 3/5 Fly Or Die - 4/5 Jump - 4/5 Backseat Love - 3/5 She Wants To Move - 4/5 Breakout - 5/5 Wonderful Place - 5/5 Drill Sergeant - 4/5 Thrasher - 5/5 Maybe - 5/5 The Way She Dances - 5/5 Chariot Of Fire - 5/5 Average score: 4.3/5 (rounding down) this was a nice listen. not a nice enough listen to give a 5-star rating like i hoped i would, but still pretty good. i had higher hopes going of absolutely loving this one considering my being a fan of N.E.R.D and Pharrell's production in the past, but in the end i'm not totally disappointed it was refreshing to hear the blend of different genres, and this combination of sounds is fun to listen to... when it was executed well. after the rocky start with the first 5 tracks, the last 7 finally came in to bless my ears. Breakout was my favorite song here by far, followed by Wonderful Place and Maybe. in my opinion, the instrumentation in the last 2/3 of the album was far more complimentary to Pharell's voice as well compared to the abrasiveness early on personally, i think this album is a great one that just so happens to have a rough start. it lacks some cohesion, and it took some patience getting past the first few songs, but the album's well worth listening to after that. perhaps in time it'll grow on me more

Wildly eclectic amazing musicality. Lyrics and off key vocal approach takes me out lf it sometimes though.

Such a fun and eclectic album! Only NERD I had listened to was their 2017 album which I love, and have been very aware of Pharrell as a big fan of a lot of the artists he influenced. This album was a very cool peak into that influence. I was not expecting it to be so rock forward, but the silliness of the rap rock was done excellently. Favorite tracks - a lot of them 8/10

While this didn't grab me in the way that "In Search Of..." did, I still found it's looseness to be enjoyable and charismatic, even if it bordered on feeling phoned in at times. I still appreciate this fusing of rap and rock (and a fair amount of funk) to the Limp Bizkit style swill that populated the airwaves leading up to it.

Thought this might be dated and was only familiar with the one hit (She Wants to Move) - but added a few others (Breakdown, Drill Sergeant, Jump) to playlists and enjoyed this a lot overall. Have a feeling this'll go into regular rotation.

Not bad. I didn't jive with all the songs, but I think they had some good instrumentals with some decent vocal work. 'Breakout' was my fave.

I liked this. The dog bark at the beginning of “She Wants to Move” made my irl dog bark.

Real good fun, with likable buoyancy and fluidity keeping this out of many of the usual sins of rock-rap. Also the risk of Pharrell aiming be to too clever is largely avoided. "The Way She Dances" is great.

It's been a long time since I listened to this album. I really liked it when it was released, although I admit a lot of the attraction was Alicia Dixon, who never looked so good, dancing on the video for "She Wants To Move", which is probably still the best track. The album stands up. I have a lot of respect for Pharrell's talent and N.E.R.D. is where the Neptunes production is brought to a more rock/pop genre. In this album I can hear influences from artists I love - Prince and Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, The Zombies, Isley Brothers. I liked listening to it again and should give the more recent reunion release a listen.

The second half of this is stronger than the first. I enjoyed it but perhaps for nostalgia reasons more than the musicality. There was a time when pharell was all over every song in the charts. Remember being at Rhythm and Vines music festival in new Zealand on new years eve 2010/11 and NERD were the headliner. It was class, so bonus point for that

As cool as you may imagine

Pharrell Williams is such a renaissance man. 🙏

Güzel yani okey

I think I like this album. It is definitely a sound of a time, and I appreciate it. I actually love more experimental hip-hop, but I’m not sure I would listen to this again. Still, I think that’s a personal taste issue (not my style of experimental hip-hop), and I can’t fault NERD or the album for that.

Top stuff, and a most excellent follow-up to In Search Of... Key track for me (and I suspect for many) will be She Wants to Move; it is impossible to sit still and listen to this, you will be grooving or your money back (lawyer's note: no refunds will actually be given). If I could give half-stars it would be a 3.5 from me, but 3.5 rounds up to 4, so 4 it is :-)

Had to find this on Youtube as strangely difficult to find on a streamer Worth the search - constantly skips between generes and bounces with energy

Pharrell is cool and this is a great album. It's unique. It's fun.

Love the variety of musical styles

This caught me completely off guard. I think I'd maybe heard of N.E.R.D at some point but I couldn't have told you anything about their music. I definitely couldn't have told you that Pharrell was involved. Now that really caught me off guard. This was such an interesting journey. I do mean journey. It's its own kind of trip through genre and attitude, moods and messages, seriousness and levity. There's rock, hip-hop, rap, funk, soul, R&B, and more all crammed into one album. That makes this so hard to compare to something else, to find context to fit it into because it differs so much from other things that I have personally heard. The closest things I can think of are the Beastie Boys (for the joining of genres) and a group like OutKast (for the fact that they truly seem to be a group, maybe even a band). There's some stuff here I really liked, stuff that scratched the rock itch but did so with enough innovation and variation from cliches and the norms of the genre that it made it interesting. Even on tracks where I thought the lyrics were lacking, the instrumentation never, ever was. It always gave you something to bop to, even if it started to feel a little repetitive by the end. Overall this was great, but I do still find myself lacking anything amazingly insightful to say about this. A second listen is warranted and necessary. Four stars. Standout Tracks: Don't Worry About It, Fly or Die, Jump, Breakout, Drill Sergeant

80/100. Fly or Die by N.E.R.D is a great album that seamlessly fuses neo-soul, R&B, and rock into a unique and energetic sound. The production is top-notch, and the album flows effortlessly from track to track. The genre-blending approach keeps things fresh and engaging.

Gostei

This was a jam, very clever and innovative stuff IMO. Also reminds me of 2004 which is always a good time.

Favorite Track: Breakout

I'd never heard this album before and it's genuinely unique in sound. The rock blended with the lyrical flow is very different. But still not mind blowing for me.

As a Tyler the Creator fan I really enjoyed this, as I see bits and pieces that influenced some of my favorite songs by him, like "Okaga, CA" It is a eclectic album, as I hear rap and r&b, but also progressive pop. Very good definitely will listen again.

Really really good, not what I was expecting

Never knew how Pharrell got his 'start', but I am not surprised he is so widely respected and acclaimed after listening to this gem. N.E.R.D I have heard of in passing, but I've never actually heard of their stuff until now. Super cool, exactly what I would expect from a younger Pharrell. The songs tell stories in more ways than one - Pharrell's vivid lyrics, the constantly changing tempo, wide variety of instruments, etc. I liked it A LOT, from beginning to end. No one song really jumped out at me... but still, good times.

Was familiar never heard now I have not too bad

This isn't an album i would have chosen to listen to but glad I did, that's the good thing about this album generator. It takes you out of your comfort zone by getting you to listen to stuff you otherwise wouldn't. I thought the album was very well put together both musically and vocally

Absolute vibe.

If you don't like this you hate fun.

NERD, the band that refused to be "genrerised" (is that a word?) Similar to Outkast, echoes of Prince, shades of Hendrix, shades of Flaming Lips...in it you find you've got jazz, you've got rock, you've got hip hop- just so layered with all sorts of music, noises and gear shifts. Pharrell obviously going on to pretty big stuff since.

Never heard of this band (collective?) before. Was not expecting much but I liked almost every minute of it. It has an indie/soul (is that a thing?) feel to it. I can't imagine this made it to top 40 radio in my market but I don't know that for sure. Harkens back to old school soul music from the likes of Al Green, The Temptations or Curtis Mayfield; all great touchstones for me. Very enjoyable. 4 stars

Masters of production, they likes girls

C'est peut-être pas un album révolutionnaire, mais j'ai trouvé sa fusion de rock/hip-hop assez intéressante pour un point bonus

I think I first heard N.E.R.D on a sampler album from Adidas that I got from a mall shoe store. Remember malls? I liked the single well enough to buy a couple of their albums. I basically never spin them up in their entirety these days, but I enjoy it when the songs I've liked come up on shuffle (particularly "Fly or Die" and "Thrasher"). The whole album holds up a little better than I was expecting. Good stuff. 4.2

I liked it a lot. Worth listening to several times and added some to my faves playlist. It was a surprise find. I’d heard of NERD but had never listened.

She wants To move 🕺

Chad and Pharrell were always fun to keep up with back when these N.E.R.D. albums were coming out. Plenty of nostalgia when going back and listening to the first three ground breaking albums. As time has gone on Pharrell seemed to embrace Curtis Mayfield’s vocal delivery and songwriting style, there’s only hints of that on here. These songs have plenty of originality and forward thinking creatively while wearing their influences on their sleeve. A lot of Pharrell’s production style is on full display here. He always chooses dryer mixes reminiscent of Stevie Wonders albums. Tight drums, dynamic bass, guitar and keys with lots of movement. Rarely are his songs anywhere close to being overly lush or ambient or beaten up with compression. 4.5

Eclectic, energetic, fun, party music. Strikes a balance between creative and slick.

Obviously afflicted by the same early-00s hip-hop shirt drought that hit Outkast on the Stankonia album cover. Casual sexism aside, this is pretty good, just three guys goofing around and having fun with beats and guitars.

Not my favorite N.E.R.D album, but still solid.

Before listening to this, the only NERD song I knew was Lapdance, so that’s what I was expecting from this album. It was way catchier than I expected and to nobody’s surprise, my favorite track was the one with the guys from Good Charlotte. 3.5 rounded up to 3.

The André 3000 x Andy Samberg collab the world didn't know it needed

Lyrics and grooves were good. Kept me interested throughout the whole thing.

Classical Pharrell - hip hop w/ rock and pop

This is way more varied and interesting than I was expecting. There's some funky tunes in here, some laid back grooves, and a great array of instruments. The album as a whole is generally pretty cool, and it's well put together.

Very nice

It's a weird album, and I've enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Funky, R&B vibes with heavy rock. 4/5!

Cool

The lead guitar and drums make this album incredible. The songs on the surface level seem very standard early 2000's but the drums and lead guitar bring everything to another level and keep it groving throughout the album

I liked this album way more than I thought I would. I don't usually listen to Pharrell and I'm not as familiar with the other band members, but I liked multiple songs from this album. I do think the first of the album is stronger than the second half, but I didn't hate the second half. Sorry not sorry 'Jump' is an absolute banger. Going to look up their other albums and listen to more by this band for sure.

Good album, I enjoyed the funk style

I don't think I've ever heard of N.E.R.D. before, but I'm familiar with Pharrell's production work. This sounds like it could be an interesting album, so I'm excited to jump into it. This album was a pleasant surprise. I didn't listen to a lot of current music when this came out, and this isn't the type of thing I'd gravitate towards today, so I was shocked that I enjoyed this. I think Pharrell is an excellent producer, and his skills were on display here. This album had a really unique style, and the deeper I got into the album, the more I enjoyed it. I wasn't a big fan of the lyrics, but musically, the songs were really catchy, and I never found myself getting bored with it. This isn't the type of album that I'd probably go back to, but I appreciate its unique sound and the quality of the production work.

It’s funny because I’m really familiar with the vocals on this album from hearing all the remixes over the years, but I’ve only listened to the original tracks a handful of times. Overall, this is a fun, enjoyable album if you’re looking for something light, easy, and surface-level. It’s upbeat, playful, and full of unpredictable shifts, crossing over lots of genres and keeping things danceable throughout.

Diverse, funky, captivating

Catchy, smooth, and cool. Much better than I expected.

8/10. It was very interesting, and not what I expected in a hip hop album at all. The first half was really interesting, and cool, while the album wore off as it progressed. :)

At first sight, I judged a book by its cover and thought I would hate this album, by track 4 I was hooked I knew some of these songs, fly or die and she wants to move. Massive tunes!! This album has it all. Hip hop, Jazz, pop and even more. Favourite song: she wants to move Least favourite song: all good Album cover: Good cover

I'll admit, I'm pretty shocked how much I enjoyed this album. Pharrell Williams may be a bit of a laughing stock in the general conscious because of his work on many a pop song in the mid-2010s to a ridiculous degree, not to mention his close work with Illumination, but can the man produce. This is obvious to anyone who has heard a hip hop album in the last couple decades, but it is clear on this record as well, where it really makes a lot of the tracks. Kudos to Chad Hugo as well. I think the album can be great when the listener is just stewing in the vibes, which is why my main flaw with this album can be such a dealbreaker: the lyrics. Some of them are just plain bad, and most of them make you kind of just wish there was solely harmonizing going on. The lyrics add nothing, and most of the time they're just so weird and a special brand of 2000s uncomfortable, it can really take you out of it. There is enough good instrumentally for it to be ignored and allow the album to glide through to the end with no major hiccups, and in the end I can call this album good because of that, but just be prepared for a few eye rolls. Otherwise, a pleasant surprise.

Really was surprised by this. Also Pharrell??

Hey, even though some of this is a little loose musically, I love the fact that they are trying to do something different. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it jumps around and has different styles and personalities throughout which makes it fun. It kind of reminds me of Pixies in terms of its complete disregard for convention. Like, they're just doing their own thing and for the most part, that works for me!

So fun

It's like their 3rd best album. N.E.R.D tells us that you can make even the cringiest lyrics tolerable if you sing them with enough conviction.

Who knew rap rock could be so dynamic, buoyant and fun, while flashing with bits of intelligence? One digs this to such an extent that if one listened to this genre, one would definitely listen to more N.E.R.D.

I was thoroughly impressed by this album, I ended up really enjoying it.

I kinda miss when Pharrell wasn’t afraid to get experimental. This mishmash of genres works much better than it should.

Another good album from the 2000s. I really liked the mix between the indie rock sound and elements of R&B. It's also very interesting that the album's sound seems to be at least a decade ahead of its time. Very good discovery!

Really cool album. I knew many of the tracks but not all of it. The record has a lot of good ideas and sounds but, as all of the records from the time, is a bit long.

Abwechslungsreich, verschiedene Genre. Gab kein Lied, dass auf Anhieb hängengeblieben ist, aber auch nicht aufdringlich. Kann man nochmal anmachen

Layered and simple rock/funk hip hop album. There's just not much out there that sounds like NERD. A great album, but not quite as impactful as the debut. Awesome overall nonetheless. Pharell's vocals will always be unique, fun, and soulful.

Love it, especially the top half. Maybe my favorite of this genre I've been given so far.

Enjoyed a lot more than expected. Cover looks like a 1 or 2 stars.

A pleasant surprise

Fun album with a hip-hop pop vibe. She wants to Move is a classic

I love the diversity of this album and it may be the only album featuring Lenny Kravitz that I can listen to. Its variety is impressive and also makes it a little hard to latch onto as well.

Good shit

Bij het zien van de hoes sloeg de moed me al in de schoenen, maar in plaats van een boze rapplaat krijgen we relaxte funk, die af en toe lekker rockt en waar inderdaad soms wat doorheen wordt gebabbeld. Best leuk.

Voor het eerst in drie weken weer eens een plaat die ik al kende voor deze lijst. N.E.R.D. had namelijk een paar flinke hits in het begin van de 00s, en toen stonden ze ook op een festival waar ik ben geweest, uit mijn hoofd zeg ik pinkpop. En een feest der herkenning is toch altijd een stuk fijner qua luisterplezier, dan wanneer je nieuwe muziek moet gaan ontdekken. Qua muziek is het een vrolijke fusion tussen R&B, hiphop en funky rock. Het is lekker catchy, met een lekker uptempo ritme. De teksten zijn op het geile af, die gasten komen iets tekort blijkbaar. Als je dingen kan bedenken als "her ass is a spaceship I want to ride", dan "ben je een hele grote" (om maar eens een berucht criticus van gitaarmuziek te parafraseren). Qua album biedt het verrassend veel afwisseling eigenlijk. Zonder dat er vervelende nummers tussen zitten. Het is allemaal uitstekend gebalanceerd: het begint met een knaller, er komt op het juiste moment een hitje en er is even tijd om wat gas terug te nemen. Ik word hier best blij van.

Fun

Surprised by how much I liked this!

Nice rock! Much better than I expected.

Super fun, will definitely listen again.

Great fun album will listen again

okay. So most of the time I was listening to this I was thinking it was a 2. Then, since it was accidentally on loop while I exercised, it somehow ended up as a 4 after a second listen. There was something dissonant about everything, but the guest spots and the rock element added so many cool things to the rap element. So interesting.

I have never heard of them. After listening to the album I added it to my favorites. Very creative while still being accessible to me. Definitely going to be listening to this one again.

I was completely unfamiliar with NERD before this and had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. This is an interesting mix of many styles that created something unique. They blended R&B and hip hop vocal stylings together, then mixed that with a slightly funky and rock instrumentation to create a cool vibe. I could definitely hear Lenny Kravitz on “Maybe,” and although he was obvious, it still flowed with the rest of the album. Still not sure how much I’ll listen to them again, but it is definitely something that will be on my radar.

When I saw the word rap in the article about this album my expectations very pretty low but I enjoyed this more than I expected. Interresting music, decent singing overall pretty good. Not the kind of music I am going to seek out in the future but decent enough.

very interesting album, diverse musical styles. Would like to listen some more.

I saw these guys open for Dave Matthews Band in Virginia Beach. According to our internet gods, it was the summer of 2004. This album was out by then, but I don’t remember what they played. I just remember liking their energy and music. So got into In Search Of . . ., which is a great album. 5 stars for sure. I think 1001 made a mistake choosing Fly Or Die over ISO… even though it is not in the current list. At least Dimery was aware enough to include N.E.R.D. in the list in the first place. Their rap rock is something to be taken in and worth hearing. Too bad Dimery had the poor judgment to 1) not include the superior In Search Of . . . 2) to remove N.E.R.D from the list. Despite this not being as good as their debut, it is still pretty pretty pretty good (Larry David voice).

This was going to be 3 stars but there were some bangers towards the end

Honestly wasn’t familiar with any of Pharell’s work besides the super mainstream stuff. Great album that’s full of a wide variety of fun songs. Thoroughly enjoyed.

This was a new artist for me, but to my surprise it wasn't that bad. Weird mix and usage of different styles but quite interesting.

4 stars, needs a Lap Dance/

- Didn't know Pharrell was in a band this is sick - Incredible vibes - Obviously he's a great singer, it really elevates these songs - Would totally go back to this

- woah it’s Pharrell - really cool blending of like pop-punk and hip hop - unique

Блин, вот после the cure так раз и кайфовый чилловый современный саунд. Вот так вот, вылупились из америки ребятки. Но слушается приятно, треки разные, движовые, качовые, фановые. Мне нравится чёт.

3.5

A different kind of hip-hop sound that was new to me. It wasn’t quite my jam, but I appreciated what was being delivered and like some moments quite a bit.

Reasonably entertaining, quirky and different. I had fun for the most part.

Very catchy! Sort of jumps around the genres which I’m in for. Quite enjoyable!

This must be a Bruno Mars inspiration Quality A Pharrell Williams original childhood creation

Pretty good. Just bout the worst album art of the 2000s

Never heard of these guys before, but I liked this more than I expected too. Good job of mixing rock and rap. Surprised to see that Pharell Williams wrote these songs.

Not new to me but happy to revisit

No bad tracks. Great sound overall. She Wants to Move the only standout track on a solid album. 3.5

Interesting mix of styles, keeps you engaged as it takes you in different directions. 3.6

This was a fun jaunt into 2004

You know, out of all the albums on this list I've gotten so far, I think this album has had the biggest disparity between how much I thought I would like it, and how much I actually liked it. Based on things like the name, album cover, and apparent lack of a strong enough reason for this album's inclusion on the list, I didn't think I would like N.E.R.D's "Fly or Die" that much. However, I actually really like this album. First off, I just want to say that I had no idea that Pharrell Williams was in a band. I just think that's kind of cool. Second of all, this album is pretty unique. I really like the blend of various genres. The wikipedia article said this was rap rock, which was another reason I thought I wouldn't like it. However, there's a lot more soul influence than I thought there would be. There really isn't that much in here I'd truly call "rap rock", or maybe this album just shows what it can actually be. This whole album has this feel-good energy to it. The writing is a bit basic at times, but not in a painful way or anything. The singing is nice, the album doesn't go on for too long. I do have one complaint though. The ending was a bit underwhelming. Not the last song specifically, that one was good. All of them are good. I just liked the first few songs overall more than the last few overall. This is a real sleeper hit you guys. I can't believe no one told me how good this was! 4/5.

Imagine if the Isley Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, 10cc, Modest Mouse, Belle and Sebastian, and Curtis Mayfield had a musical orgy… Fly or Die is probably as close as you are going to get to that

Witty, experimental funk/soul rock that spans multiple genres and is defined by none of them. Vocals are diverse and captivating, from soulful gentle hooks to almost-rap to alternative indie rock, and lyrics are clever, catchy, and meaningful. Instrumentation is all over the place in a fun, creative way; N.E.R.D feels less like a serious attempt at art experimentation and more jovial exploration and flexing of musicians who have nothing to prove. Not what I was expecting, but happy to be proven wrong. Stand out tracks include “Jump”, “Wonderful Place”, and “The Way She Dances”.

Easily forgettable, guitar chords from Pharell Williams wasn't really impactful and time signatures were inconsistent Vocals overall was decent at best

Sorry rene

I don't think people recognize how talented Pharrell is. Would definitely repeat this album. Favorite songs: She Wants To Move, Breakout, Wonderful Place, Drill Sergeant, Thrasher, Maybe (honestly, I feel like I'm listing all the songs. This album is a banger.)

ds

I like this. Pharrell always seems to deliver.

4*

First NERD album I’ve really listened to. Not bad

Quite ok - runs smooth ;-)

After giving Fly Or Die a good listen. I can say its a really solid rap rock album. I liked how it could get really wacky at points (Jump and She Wants To Move being prime examples of this) The instruments were all utilized very well as were the vocals. Some of the compositions might not have been perfect but all in all, Its still a really solid album Best Song: Thrasher Worst Song: Chariot Of Fire

I like this collaboration, poppy, edgy, musically happy.

Nice listen ngl

Cool album. Good energy and a clear theme throughout the album. I think Pharrell’s solo stuff is better though.

Notable track: She Wants To Move

I'm positively surprised by this album. I just remembered some singles of the past of N.E.R.D. that sounded like they tried to hard. Listening to the full album, it really has some funky rock sounds that tries to have their own soul. It might not have worked on every track but it is certainly above average.

Fuck yes. This whole album feels like drinking the "Fun Potion" off of a crazy wizard's shelf of assorted brews and concoctions.

So, first time listening to N.E.R.D. Can this really be called Hip-Hop? Pharrell’s not really rapping, but then we’re in a place in 2023 where most of the really popular Hip-Hop artists don’t really rap either. He’s a pioneer! This one was fun. The lyrics were by far the worst part, but the music was good enough that I could just tune them out. I was a little worried that the album was gonna be all the same rhythm-centric chugging guitar riff, because that’s what the first five songs are, but then Breakout came on with it’s accordion, which I really loved, and the whole vibe changed to a soul thing that I also really enjoyed. So yeah, I’m game with this. Might even check out some more

jazzy start I listened to this music all day, rnb plus rap was a good combo.

Every time I listen to NERD I wonder why I’ve never tried to listen to them more. They were definitely genre-defying and innovative and I enjoyed the whole experience. They definitely deserve to be on this list and I would happily listen again - there was enough variety and intelligence to keep me interested.

I used to love the song she wants to move back when it was first released. I don’t know if I heard any of the other songs of the album before this week. Listening to the whole album at once is a lot, because it just started sounding repetitive. Playing the tracks one or two at a time was much more enjoyable - to me at least. I could go anywhere from a three to a four on this.

I had never even heard of this before today and enjoyed its eclectic approach. I didn't love the vocal performances so much (I didn't know until sitting down to write this that that was Pharrell), but I liked the Zappa-esque and George-Clintonesque goofiness. And the songs were well written, too. So yeah, a perfect album for a list like this. Glad I heard it.

I'll be honest. I was really skeptical going into this album. Never heard of N.E.R.D. before or any song on this track. I was pleasantly surprised. This is not another rap or hip hop album. This is a rock rap album with serious, undeniable musicality imbedded. While some of the sounds are a little raw, the writing is really impressive. Of course, I had no idea that Pharrell was the lead singer and and they had great collaborators including Questlove and Lenny Kravitz too...

A staggering mishmash of genres and influences, which works better than it should. Like most albums by producers / production teams, it exists largely to show what they can do, but in a "cocky" way rather than a "pointlessly complex" way. Pharell is a hell of a frontman, and the guests elevate their songs well. An album where there is a place for every song on someone's playlist, but it's maybe less likely to be anyone's "all time favourite".

Good solid pop hip-hop album with a little dada-ist streak, and only a slight smidgen of misogyny, which is refreshing. Had a good time listening to this record, funky, clever, and fun.

I liked the rock hip-hop hybrid at the time, but hadn't listened to n*e*r*d since about 2010. Still appeals. I think the rudimentary funk rock guitar without too many clever noodling combined with good drumming is what attracts me. I'll give it a low 4 as it's not very special, but I do quite like it.

Really fun to listen to. Nice blend of genres

I had never heard of this before, but I enjoyed it. From what I learned, they learned to play the instruments do they could perform live. It was a fun listen so the way through with a good rock/rap vibe and some funk should in there.

An extra star for Pharrel

dude what is this? The rap is pretty bad but the music itself is wild. It's almost like listening to lyrics from a sound cloud rapper mashed up with a totally disassociated band. Compels me though.

I had no expectations for this album and I was pleasantly surprised. Unique sound, very fun, and super catchy. Not something that I would listen to every day, but for sure I will be coming back to this. 8/10

A great organic alternative rnb pop album with live instrumentation.

Ga de albumgenerator een roer draaien door niet deze, maar 'In Search of...' te reviewen: TOP plaat, VEEL beter dan hun latere werk zoals 'Fly or Die', waar ik maar 2 sterren voor zou geven.

Lekker hoor. Hoera voor pharell!

Thumping, bumping, nerdy prog rock hip hop, NERD pursue their worst temptations and excesses towards bombastic OTT drums, guitars and bass. It is a lot of fun.

One of those bands that I've been meaning to listen to but haven't really until now. Found it really catchy and fun. The arrangements were simple but with enough surprises to keep it interesting.

I enjoyed it as something outside my norm but probably wouldn't add to my rotation

I didn’t know Pharrell had a super group, one that integrated rock with rap, but it’s pretty bangin’. Could have skipped the Good Charlotte appearance, but I like how it transitions from funky and soulful to somewhat aggressive, like a P-Funk or Santana track with rap verses. Would listen again. B-

Not bad.

This album takes me back to college, when I first listened to and really enjoyed this album.

Didn’t know anything about this. I was intrigued and ended up really enjoying it. I like the rockier sound underlying the rappy top layer.

J'avais très bien reconnu Pharrell caché derrière ses doigts contrairement à eltrapeze qui n'a qu'un sur dix aux deux yeux. Bigleux.

Les N.E.R.D me semblaient être un nouveau boys band rnb des plus homosexuels, il n'en fut rien, la troupe de Pharell s'est mis en tête de nous baiser la gueule pendant une bonne heure.

Really close to hitting something so strong, but it feels like almost every song was nearly groundbreaking. Not strong enough to get the 5 for me, but definitely a great album.

00’er hiphop/pop, lidt rocket, energisk, pharell

Very good production and arrangements. Pretty into it

She Wants To Move // Breakout // Wonderful Place // Drill Sergeant // Maybe // The Way She Dances // Find My Way 3.5/5

I'd never heard of these chaps, they started a bit shaky, like a sort of Bloodhound Gang copy, but they evolved into a mix between Silksonic and Flight of the Conchords. I genuinely really liked a bunch of these tunes.

This was a rather interesting album, from a group I was not very familiar with (apart from Pharrell's Get Lucky with Daft Punk of course). At first listen I thought the songs were catchy but also a bit weird melodically; it didn't quite work for me. The second listen was much more enjoyable, so I went from 2 to 4 stars in the end.

This album has a lot of the same problems Pharrell’s later stuff has: weird awkward sounding lyrics. Otherwise pretty good though

4

Album that is very different from anything in its genre, somewhat ahead of it’s time by giving an alternative feel.

Pretty hot. I think it could have been edited down some to its benefit, it's a long album and drags at time. But overall great.

Gairebé a mig camí entre el hip hop i el funk rock, el disc sap com aprofitar-se del millor de cada génere per anar moldejant un treball que passa ràpid i deixa senscions de felicitat pel seu recorregut. Pharell Williams és cos i ànima del treball, i aquí es trobava en un dels seus millors moments artístics. 'Drill Sergeant', 'Fy or Die', 'Waiting for You'... et donen ganes de saltar, ballar, riure... Un feel-good album de manual

Now here is an album! Enjoyed listening to this from start to finish. Good mix of hip hop and a sort of new jazz. Tough to explain but I'd rather struggle to identify the genre than recognize it immediately (UK looking at you).

Rock alternativo.

7/10. This was pretty solid, didn't expect it to be so rocky. That said why the hell are there three hidden tracks? And is it even really a hidden track if it's not at the end of an album, or at least the end of a record-side?

Really good and fun and catchy!

A curious album, and one that grew on me through the day. Impossible to pigeon hole but rather fun and I'd give this another listen for a change of pace.

Damn, that Pharrell is one talented dude. This is a pretty great yet unheralded album. Totally dig it.

Couldn’t get into it.

7/10 - a good mix of pop rock and urban beats

I don’t know that this is their crowning achievement album, but it’s a NERD album! Pharrell deserves inclusion, and if this is it then cool. Well produced alt rock and while I didn’t enjoy all of it I would be real excited to see any local band play this.

I saw NERD back in looks like July, 2002 as part of the free On The Bricks shows at Centennial Park. They played Rockstar & Lapdance as the first two AND last two songs... and think the whole set was maybe 6 songs so definitely weird to hear repeats. But free show and they wanted people to hear the hits (before video phones haha). This 2nd album was a LOT better than the first and when people could start to tell "there might be a lot more to Pharrell's music than this."

I wanted a bit more of Pharrel's production magic on this album. I know it's there, but it lacked the kind of singles I was hoping for on an album produced by him. Albums don't need to have catchy singles, but I think this would have benefitted from some.

Pharrell really changed a lot of things [for the good] about music, and especially how we look at hip hop. Still to this day, he carries that passion and ambition (see "Let God Sort 'Em Out" by Clipse). N.E.R.D. offered that unique touch, something different, that really opened up inspiration and feel-good music. This is a really nice one.

Not so bad, i kind of like the music they were going for. It is very plain though

Didn't know these guys have been active so long! Exceptionally good beats, just like Don't Don't Do It

nice!

An interesting blend of hip-hop and Rr&B with some elements of rock as well.

Most rap-rock is lost on me but N.E.R.D. has always been a bit of an exception. Solid stuff for long stretches of the album.

N.E.R.D. sure but D.O.R.K. most of all. Still liked it though, PW's a good producer