 | This article contains promotional content .(March 2023) |
| Nothing | ||||
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| Released | November 2, 2010 | |||
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| Length | 36:51 | |||
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| Producer | ||||
| N.E.R.D. chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nothing | ||||
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Nothing is the fourth studio album by American rock band N.E.R.D, released November 2, 2010 on Star Trak Entertainment and Interscope Records in the United States. On October 17, 2010, the standard edition and the deluxe edition of the album became available for pre-order on iTunes.
During production of the album, group member Pharrell Williams noted that "[w]e needed to align ourselves and make ourselves parallel and congruent with what society is feeling." Part of this feeling included uneasiness about the American political climate at that time. "There's a lot going on and a lot of things people don't necessarily understand. We have a Tea Party. We have conservative Democrats. We have liberals that are like neo-liberals and nothing like you thought they'd be. There's so many different hybrid sects of people and issues..."
In light of these ephemeral issues, timelessness is a key theme of the album. "So we thought why not make a timeless album that's kind of a time capsule, so 10 years from now people look at that album and go, 'I remember that era. That's when the 'Nothing' album came out.' I just wanted to make some good music that would affect people in a good way." Williams says it wasn't easy. N*E*R*D worked on "a previous body of work which was really good, but it wasn't timeless to me. I didn't feel like we were pushing ourselves as much as we could. We needed to perfect the sound, so we kept pushing the date back until it was right." The result includes "a lot of vintage sounds...The album is very '68-'72, '73, America meets Crosby, Stills & Nash meets Moody Blues." [1]
The impetus was partially based on more wholeheartedly embracing digital audio workstation programs such as Logic Studio Pro, while using new tools to invoke a spirit of emotionally responsive late-'60s/early-'70s psychedelic pop with the final product.
Hugo had previously adopted many in-the-box techniques, and Williams always had a backpack to tote around various fashionable gadgetry, so adding in a Macbook Pro and portable MIDI controllers was no stretch. Certainly, not having a dozen pieces of outboard gear to have to relocate or rent (not to mention rewire) was a relief to Coleman and second engineer Mike Larson, who split N*E*R*D sessions between such facilities as South Beach Studios, Midnight Blue Studios in Miami, and The Neptunes' own Hovercraft Studios in Virginia Beach (Hugo's home base for mixing elements into the base).
With ideas no longer waiting to be actualized with bodies sitting in front of the Korgs and beats synced to the Pro Tools clock, the composing of Nothing involved entire rhythm and chord progressions plus sequenced instrumentation ideas (courtesy of EXS24 virtual sampler libraries) being brought to Coleman's Pro Tools HD rig to form the bed of tracks. Monitoring with the Apogee Ensemble, the team would bounce the tracks down and import them, at which time Coleman would begin to apply signature tweaks to get a characteristic snap and thump.
The Access Virus TI still has a noticeable presence on Nothing, and live overdubs are blended into the programmed environment to reinforce it. Most often these guitar and bass licks come from Hugo, and sometimes Coleman, run into the Pro Tools DI, and then are processed through Line 6 Amp Farm and Tech21 SansAmp.
In short, Williams often lays down the initial patterns he has been playing out in his head (including everything from clavinet to handclaps), Hugo replays keys and adds tones such as "angry saxophone noise" (his description), and then Williams and Haley track lead vocals, harmonies, beatbox, and other percussive sounds. When needed, different drums are auditioned and triggered from disk, but there was no recording of additional live kits during the 2010 sessions. Finally, tone sculpting commences. "It's a different process [to be more virtual], and it does make some things easier," says Hugo. "There are also songs on the album that are more straightforward in rhythm, more four-on-the-floor, so there wasn't as much time in drum editing."
This time around, songwriting duties were shared between both Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, unlike their last effort Seeing Sounds where Williams had the majority of songwriting credits, with the exception of "Hot N' Fun", "Hypnotize U" (co written between Pharrell and Daft Punk) and "I Wanna Jam". (Co-written between Pharrell and Shae). [2]
Along with these singles, N*E*R*D has also released a few viral videos for 2 additional singles, one for "Help Me" and also for "Life as a Fish" which can be seen on the BBC Ice Cream website.
The album debuted at number twenty one on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 20,000 copies. [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| The A.V. Club | C [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [6] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [7] |
| musicOMH | [8] |
| NME | (6/10) [9] |
| The Observer | (favorable) [10] |
| Pitchfork Media | (4.1/10) [11] |
| PopMatters | (7/10) [12] |
| Sputnikmusic | [13] |
Nothing received mixed to positive reviews from most music critics. [14] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [14] Rave Magazine said, "Pharrell Williams should either stop letting his wang co-write his songs or start giving it a credit in the liner notes" and gave it two and a half stars out of five. [15]
In 2024, the track "God Bless Us All" appeared on Williams' soundtrack album Piece by Piece (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) .
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Party People" (featuring T.I.) | The Neptunes | 3:52 | |
| 2. | "Hypnotize U" |
| 4:16 | |
| 3. | "Help Me" |
| The Neptunes | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Victory" |
| The Neptunes | 3:42 |
| 5. | "Perfect Defect" |
| The Neptunes | 3:42 |
| 6. | "I've Seen the Light/Inside of Clouds" |
|
| 4:25 |
| 7. | "God Bless Us All" |
| The Neptunes | 3:29 |
| 8. | "Life as a Fish" |
| The Neptunes | 2:36 |
| 9. | "Nothing on You" |
| The Neptunes | 3:18 |
| 10. | "Hot-n-Fun" (featuring Nelly Furtado) | Williams | The Neptunes | 3:24 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "It's in the Air" |
| The Neptunes | 4:21 |
| 12. | "Sacred Temple" |
| The Neptunes | 4:11 |
| 13. | "I Wanna Jam" | Williams, Shay Haley | The Neptunes | 3:34 |
| 14. | "The Man" |
| The Neptunes | 3:18 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Hot-n-Fun" (Boys Noize Remix, featuring Nelly Furtado) | Williams | The Neptunes | 5:55 |
| 16. | "Hot-n-Fun" (Starsmith Remix, featuring Nelly Furtado) | Williams | The Neptunes | 5:34 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Fuego" |
| The Neptunes | 3:39 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Ride That Thang" (featuring Fam-Lay) |
| The Neptunes | 3:50 |
| Charts (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart [16] | 55 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart [17] | 56 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Alternative Albums [17] | 14 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Heatseekers [17] | 20 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart [18] | 40 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Heatseekers [18] | 3 |
| Dutch Albums Chart [19] | 31 |
| French Albums Chart [20] | 43 |
| French Digital Albums Chart [20] | 4 |
| Swiss Albums Chart [21] | 32 |
| UK Albums Chart [22] | 83 |
| UK R&B Albums Chart [23] | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 [24] | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums [25] | 5 |
| Canadian Albums Chart [26] | 56 |
Credits for Nothing adapted from Allmusic [27]
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| Region | Release | Edition | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | October 29, 2010 | Standard (CD) Deluxe (Digital download) | Polydor |
| United States | November 2, 2010 | Standard (CD / digital download) Deluxe (CD / digital download) | Interscope |
The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while Hugo remained behind the scenes.
N.E.R.D. were an American rock and hip hop band, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1994. The Neptunes were signed by Teddy Riley to Virgin. After producing songs for several artists throughout the late 1990s, the duo formed the band with Shay Haley as a side project band of The Neptunes in 1994. N.E.R.D.'s debut album, In Search Of..., sold 603,000 copies in the United States and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also awarded the second annual Shortlist Music Prize. The band's second album, Fly or Die, sold 412,000 copies in the United States, but shipped at least 500,000 units, certifying it Gold.
Fly or Die is the second studio album by American rap rock band N.E.R.D. It was released on March 23, 2004.
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams, often known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician. He first became known as one half of the music production duo the Neptunes, which he formed with Chad Hugo in 1992. Fifteen of their productions have peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, which includes four songs that peaked atop the chart. The two also formed the alternative band N.E.R.D. with drummer Shay Haley in 1999, for which Williams served as lead vocalist. He has been considered one of the most influential music producers of the 21st century for his impact on popular music.
Charles Edward Hugo is an American record producer. Alongside close colleague Pharrell Williams, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in 1992, with whom he has produced numerous hit records for various artists. He is also a member of the band N.E.R.D., alongside Williams and Shay Haley, and co-founded the record label Star Trak Entertainment with Williams in 2001. In contrast to Williams, Hugo does not perform vocals on records.
"Boys" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her third album Britney (2001). It was written and produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams. A version of the song titled "The Co-Ed Remix" and featuring guest vocals from Williams was released as the fifth single from Britney on June 24, 2002. The new version also served as the second single from the soundtrack of Austin Powers in Goldmember. "Boys" is a R&B and hip hop song, including funk influences. The remix carries a slower tempo than the album version, and both versions were noted by critics to be reminiscent of music by American artist Janet Jackson. Some critics praised Spears and Williams' chemistry, as well as the production on the track, while others did not think the song worked well.
The Neptunes Present... Clones is a compilation album produced and released by American production and songwriting duo The Neptunes. It was released on August 19, 2003 and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. The album featured six singles; "Frontin'" by Pharrell Williams, "Popular Thug" by Kelis, "Light Your Ass on Fire" by Busta Rhymes, “Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Fam-Lay, "Hot Damn" by Clipse and "It Blows My Mind" by Snoop Dogg.
"Like I Love You" is the debut solo single of American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his debut studio album, Justified (2002), which features American hip hop duo Clipse. It was co-written by Timberlake and the Neptunes, who also produced it. The song was released on September 16, 2002, as Timberlake's debut solo single, following the announced hiatus of NSYNC earlier that year. According to Williams, the song's drums were an ode to the funk era.
"Señorita" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his debut studio album, Justified (2002). It was released on July 7, 2003, by Jive Records as the fourth single from the album. He co-wrote the track with its producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes. According to Timberlake, the song was influenced by Stevie Wonder. Musically, "Señorita" is an R&B, pop, and jazz up-tempo ballad, featuring an electric piano strut, cowbell in beat of the song, and a rhythm section. The song has been described as a Spanish "number" with a "Latin flavored" cut beat. In the track, Timberlake sings about a woman, whose attention he is trying to capture. "Señorita" received positive reviews from music critics, who commented on the track's general sound and lyrics.
In My Mind is the debut studio album by American musician Pharrell Williams. The album was released on July 25, 2006, by Star Trak Entertainment, Virgin Records and Interscope Records. It debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200, selling 142,000 copies in its first week of release. The album is also certified Silver in the United Kingdom for sales of over 60,000 copies. In My Mind would go on to receive a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.
In Search of... is the debut studio album by American funk rock band N.E.R.D. The group originally released the album on August 6, 2001 in Europe, where Kelis' Wanderland—produced by The Neptunes, consisting of N.E.R.D members Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo—was better received. Similarly to Kelis' early work, the original version of In Search of... juxtaposes hip hop and rock influences and styles. The album is named after the TV series In Search of..., hosted by Leonard Nimoy.
Hell Hath No Fury is the third studio album by hip hop duo Clipse. The album was released on November 28, 2006 in the United States by Re-Up, Star Trak and Jive. Recording sessions for the album took place over a period of several years, and suffered numerous delays prior to release. Production was handled by The Neptunes.
"Maybe" is a single from American band N*E*R*D's second studio album, Fly or Die (2004). The song features Lenny Kravitz on guitar and Questlove on drums. It peaked at number 25 in the United Kingdom, number 31 in Ireland, and number 34 in the Netherlands. The song was featured in an iPod commercial that also promoted the song.
Seeing Sounds is the third studio album by American alternative rock band N.E.R.D released June 10, 2008 on Star Trak Entertainment and Interscope Records in the United States. After ending their contract with Virgin Records in 2005, the band felt their previous album Fly or Die (2004) was too consistent. Using their own money, the band recorded the album in Florida and California. The album was produced solely by record production duo The Neptunes, consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, with additional assistance by rock band Spymob and was mainly written by Williams. The album's title, as well as its content, revolves around the neurological phenomenon of synesthesia, the mixing of sensory modalities.
"Rump Shaker" is a song by American hip-hop group Wreckx-N-Effect. It was released in August 1992 by MCA Records as the lead single from their second album, Hard or Smooth (1992). It features production and guest vocals from Teddy Riley, brother of former Wreckx member Markell Riley. Due to the massive success of Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You," the song did not advance further than No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts. Nevertheless, it peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Singles, and No. 9 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts.
"Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing in the Line for the Bathroom)" is a song by American band N.E.R.D. It is the lead single from their third studio album Seeing Sounds and was released on May 13, 2008. Lyrically, the song delves into the issue of women socially snorting cocaine in bathrooms. The song was accompanied by music video, which was directed by Diane Martel. A video for the remix of the song featuring Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and Pusha T of Clipse was also filmed and directed by Hype Williams.
"Sweet Life" is a song by American singer Frank Ocean, released as the third single from his debut studio album Channel Orange (2012). The song was written and produced by Ocean and Pharrell Williams, member of the production duo The Neptunes. The track was released on July 6, 2012, when Ocean posted a download of the song onto his Tumblr account, and it debuted on iTunes on July 12. The song features a vocal loop, warm horn sections and lush, tropical production. The song explores a disillusionment and wealth within Ladera Heights and lyrically explores a narrative of people wasting their life away on the beach and Ocean's desire not to involve himself with such a life. The song draws inspiration from Ocean's own early life.
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Bush is the thirteenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on May 12, 2015, through Doggy Style Records and I Am Other, and distributed by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Pharrell Williams with additional production by Chad Hugo. It features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Stevie Wonder, Charlie Wilson, Gwen Stefani, T.I. and Rick Ross. Bush was the first album by the rapper after his return to the hip hop moniker Snoop Dogg.
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