Another great soul has passed away. It's been reported that legendary musician was found dead at his home in Memphis today. The composer most known for the theme from Shaft and as the voice of Chef on Comedy Central's animated show South Park is no stranger to hip-hop: his work has been sampled many times over the years. My thoughts go to the Hayes' family in this time of grief.
Ah, The Neptunes… Any mainstream artist needing a shot of adrenaline in their career knows exactly where to go for instant-hit production. Their sound is recognizable, though strangely hard to duplicate by others and strangely managing to avoid being repetitive and boring. When you pick up The Neptunes’ latest offering, Clones, you can’t help but wonder at its potential when scanning down the list of artists. Will this Ludacris joint be another banger? What about this Nelly song I see here? Will it be as infectious as Hot In Herre? Wow, and Nas doing a song with The Neptunes?
Record Author(s): The Neptunes & others
Record Title: The Neptunes Present... Clones
Record Producer(s): The Neptunes, Alex Oana, Dana Deathray, The High Speed Scene
Executive Producer(s): Rob Walker, Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo
Release Date: August 19, 2003
The Neptunes were smart in making this album. The household names help sell the album while the album itself acts as a launching pad for the careers of lesser-known Star Trak artists such as Roscoe P. Coldchain, Fam-Lay, and Ab-Liva. After a seductive intro draws you in, Clones wastes no time in getting the party started with the new Busta Rhymes single Light Your Ass On Fire. The electro-funk beat is solid, but Busta Rhymes turns in yet another sub-par performance. He seems more intent on rapping about asses than trying to turn his declining career around. The Clipse are next with Blaze of Glory, filled with belligerent horns, ominous rumblings, and tight rhymes. Ludacris continues the list of big names with a raucous joint called It Wasn’t Us. The Neptunes production, a little reminiscent of Southern Hospitality, makes it a very viable radio hit – maybe after Pharrell and Clipse have their turns with Frontin’ and Hot Damn (which is simply Lord Willin’s Cot Damn with new verses from everyone). Lyrically, Ludacris is a little disappointing because his rhymes aren’t as clever or memorable on this song as they usually are.
Hopefully, everyone has heard Pharrell’s single Frontin’ by now, which I believe is the best urban radio hit this summer and was the main motivation behind my purchase of this album. The Neptunes’ penchant for making simple, yet irresistibly catchy beats (e.g. Grindin’ by the Clipse) is on full display here. Super slick riffs back up Pharrell’s falsetto crooning to make one of the smoothest songs this summer. Jay-Z comes by to cap off the song with a hot, though all-too-short, verse: Every time your name was brought up / I would act all nonchalant / In front of a audi-ance / Like you was just another shorty I put the naughty on / But uh, truth be told, you threw me for a loop, this Hov / I’m too old to be frontin’ what I’m feelin’ / Denzelin’, actin’ like you ain’t appealin’ when you are…
Pharrell and his partner Chad take their shot at writing a pop song which is performed surprisingly well by relative unknown Vanessa Marquez. The smooth groove goes on with Nelly’s contribution If. It’s not the next E.I. or Hot In Herre, but rather a song aimed at the ladies - not anywhere as memorable as 50 Cent’s 21 Questions. Snoop Dogg is also probably intended to be another selling point of the album, but his weed anthem It Blows My Mind is boring and half-hearted.
Two rock songs in the middle of the album came as a surprise to me. But that isn’t too farfetched if you think about it. N.E.R.D.’s album In Search Of… definitely had some rock influences and the Neptunes seem too cool to confine themselves to hip-hop culture alone anyway (the limited-edition DVD has footage of them messing around with stunt bikes and skateboards). Both rock songs are actually pretty decent. The High Speed Scene make a twisted rock version Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World and call it Fuck N’ Spend. Pleasant, eh? There’s a new N.E.R.D. track on this compilation too, which would get some people excited, except for the fact that it S.U.C.K.S. The track, called Loser, had me expecting something along the lines of Bobby James. Instead it’s an uninteresting song about how they “will not be the losers”, with lyrics harder to stomach than N.E.R.D.’s usual notorious fare. However, the track of the album to skip isn’t Loser, but The Don of Dons (Put De Ting Pon Dem). Even though Super Cat is a respected reggae artist, the saturation of Sean Paul on the radio right now makes this song impossible to listen to, in addition to an ill-fitting beat for a reggae artist.
The second biggest motivating factor for the purchase of this album was the much-anticipated new ODB song. Now signing his name as Dirt McGirt, Ol’ Dirty Bastard doesn’t disappoint with his joint. Before he starts his first verse, he has already said “motherfucker” a couple times and threatened to “kill anything that moves!” The Neptunes made sure to lace the track with a beat a little on the loony side. The DVD that accompanies the limited-edition versions of this album is typical: three music videos, the approximate release dates of future Star Trak albums, and a short film of The Neptunes showing off their equipment, being interviewed, doing work, and goofing off. Still, it’s a nice little touch to a solid album that’ll get its fair share of spins in your car.
Reviews 
