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N.E.R.D's debut album was never bettered by the group....

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 01/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having become one of the most prolific producers/Remixers in the business...the production team known as "The Neptunes", (consisting of two members 'Chad Hugo' & 'Pharrell Williams') have lent their considerable skills constructing / Producing tracks for artists such as : "Justin Timberlake/Jay-Z/Old Dirty/Nelly/Britney Spears & LL Cool J". But it was "Zero 7's" astonishing remix of their Album track "Provider", that prompted me to Revisit their Debut album. And seeing as N.E.R.D are considered among the best (if not the best),in the Hip-Hop Producer/Composer stakes, this doesn't disappoint. And rather than just settle for their market leading blend of stuttering beats, and reverberating bass-lines, which would have ensured rave reviews across the board, they take the risky step of cross-breeding with the Rock genre to unparalleled success. From 'Lapdance's' funk/Hip-hop, to 'Provider's' slinky R&B /Hip-Hop beats, to the full on Rock/Hip-hop Hybrid that is "Rockstar" (a sneering look at so called 'Poser's'), and it's hard to find complaint with this album, because it stays close enough to its Hip-Hop Roots to pander to the Hip-Hop markets (especially those with a fancy, for Anthemic beats), and inventive enough to bring elements of 'Rock' to the table, without it sounding forced (and possibly enticing a few Rock fans, that have liked Hip-hop but never felt sure enough to buy a Hip-hop album), truly the best of both worlds then."