Way back before Pharrell Williams was shilling out for Pixar, collaborating on the rapiest song of the decade or donning hats that could also function as a garage, he was known as the frontman of supremely good ’00s hip-hop/rock outfit N.E.R.D.
The trio that pumped out such noughties bangers as Rockstar, Lapdance and She Wants To Move disbanded in 2010, with Williams going on to commit the atrocities mentioned above, but it looks like the band is reuniting in some form with something new coming this week.
I think I got my first ever boner listening to this song in 2004. So that’s a thing.
The rumours started off with the now age-old approach of sneaky, ~mysterious~ posters appearing randomly, in this instance at the Tyler, The Creator curated Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival music festival in California.
NO_ONE EVER REALLY DIES @NeRdArMy pic.twitter.com/5ic6b5Dy8G
— SHADEZ THE MISFIT (@shadeztm) October 29, 2017
*whispers* The first letters spell out N.E.R.D.
Following on from this came Pharrell himself tweeting out a directive to listen in to Apple’s Beats 1 radio station for… something. Beats 1 host Zane Lowe followed suit:
Turn on @beats1 tomorrow at 9a PT / noon ET.
— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) October 31, 2017
Wednesday @Beats1
9am LA 12pm NYC 4pm LDN pic.twitter.com/LhvhgW0IUk— Zane Lowe (@zanelowe) October 31, 2017
Obviously that something is new N.E.R.D material, if old-school fans are to be believed anyway.
Album on the way???!? @NeRdArMy https://t.co/uOqadFoYSQ
— Bush & Poningo (@bushandponingo) October 31, 2017
https://twitter.com/mdoIIas11/status/925395120517677056
Oh yeah, the other rumour floating around is that Rihanna will be featuring on the new track or album in some capacity as well. Where that has come from this humble writer has no fucking idea, but, I mean, sure, sounds good.
The new, whatever it is, drops on Beats 1 radio 3am Sydney-time tomorrow (Thursday Nov 2nd), so if you’re lucky, you’ll be waking up to some fresh new N.E.R.D in the morning. Get hype.
