It’s looking to be a great NBA All-Star Game half-time show this year. N.E.R.D. is set to perform. They just released their album No_ One Ever Dies in December. Fans waited for five years for a new album from the chart-topping hip-hop group. Pharrell, Shay, and Chad will entertain the crowd at Staples Center in Los Angeles with a medley of their hits from the new album. It’s not long until February 18, 2018 game, and fans are already listening for word that Rihanna may join them. They’ve included “Lemon”, their fabulous viral single in their show set, and the buzz has already hit. For those who can’t stand the wait, here is some N.E.R.D. trivia to help pass the time.
N.E.R.D. has no expectations about how their music affects their fans.
Pharrell said it’s kind of like cooking. He said that when people cook, they don’t always eat the same kind of food, but enjoy different meals. Their fans understand that N.E.R.D. has a good time with different music during their shows. They expect their fans to “get lost in time” and enjoy their music. Their views and values are self-explanatory. They have “a bespoke ideal” of themselves. During an interview in Berlin, they noted that their albums are soundtracks for their subconscious views about life and health- the right music for each moment every day. Their albums are masculine and feminine, positive and negative, and artistic expressions. They believe their music is for fans to “take and use ” as they choose.
N.E.R.D. named their album Seeing Sounds because they “see their music”.
When asked whether the group sees the sounds or the work they put into their records, Pharrell said “both”. They get their “really wacky” video concepts from the music. The music speaks to them, tells them how it should be written. The inspiration for lyrics come at them in big emotional waves. They figure out what the final product should be. When they make music, they match their thoughts with correlating emotions, and discover chords which will express their ideas.
Pharrell remembers times in his past where he would get one pair of sneakers each summer.
When he got the chance to design his own sneakers and have his own made the way he wanted them, he started to design all the time. He said that he can’t speak to what his designs mean to everybody else, but for himself, it represents the opportunity to do something his own way. He mentioned that all the fraudulent forged copies of his designs are all flattery. He said, “There’s tons of that.” But he also noted, “that’s when you know you are doing something right”. For N.E.R.D., fashion and music co-exist. Though they don’t consciously pay attention to how their own style affects their fans, they understand that it does. Pharrell said that he is most inspired by everyday people and what they wear. For him, those are the people who have the greatest sense of fashion. He believes their fashion sense is “spot on” because they daily wear what they need and can afford to buy.
One bag Pharrell carries is a saddlebag made by Hermès.
He said that its price was ostentatious, but he had a tendency in the past few years to be that way too. He said that the bag is a man’s bag. It was originally designed to carry bank notes. He said he’s very much into that. He said that another aspect of this fashionable bag is that it’s used as a weekend bag to just carry a change of clothes, and he uses it that way.
Tammy Lucas taught Pharrell how to write songs.
Early in the N.E.R.D. ‘s existence, they listed her as one artist they would like to include in their N.E.R.D. projects. They were impressed with her work on Baby Doll. They also always enjoy fun collaborations. Early on; they wanted to collaborate with White Stripes, and Kraftwerk. Kraftwerk had a great influence on their lives, because they pioneered incredible sounds and revolutionized hip hop. Pharrell said that at one time he would have paid anything to get one of their keyboards and use some of their sounds.
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