Does anyone ever really die? What is the afterlife like? Do we come back as black widows and bite those who wronged us in their sleep? Do we come back as orange caterpillars and grow into beautiful monarchs? Do we ascend to the stars to live as one?” No_One Ever Really Dies, title of long awaited fifth album from the vividly imaginative trio Chad Hugo, Shay Haley, and Pharrell Williams better known as N.E.R.D, unapologetically boasts lyrics opposing issues of anti-immigration, police brutality, and amongst other issue transgender rights. Features including Rihanna, Gucci Mane, Wale, Frank Ocean, Andre 3000, Kendrick Lamar, and Future make No_One Ever Really Dies a listening pleasure. A provocative album cover, displaying a sexy mouth with aluminum foil as substitute for grills, first orally stimulated, leading us directly to an eclectic stimulation. N.E.R.D consistently provides lyrically over out of space beats.
No_One Ever Really Dies starts off with an indignant optimism with the intro song “Lemon” Featuring Rihanna. “The Truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off”, a strong first statement said by Pharrell Williams, will definitely capture the attention of any listener. A “Lemon”, referring to the experience of your eyes watering from the high acidity of their in your face dopeness. Mid song the beat switches to a heavy bass beat and we catch the wave of Rihanna rapping some very “shit talking” lyrics. Dually Rihanna and Pharrell, tell the world, they get it how they live it, they will not stop, and the paps(paparazzi) need to get the fucking lens right while they capture them in their greatest moments. If you need some inspiration and encouragement on your road to creative greatness, this song should be on repeat during your morning routine. Mid–album, good for nothing but media ratings, corny twitter quarrels, making himself more grandiose, and now the subject of the song “Deep Down Body Thirst”, Trump is given very clear messages “your intentions are dead wrong” and “it does not matter what you win, if your soul is lost” Wow! Mr. President, you definitely need this album! As a true fan of “high end rap” of course I would make mention of the song “1000” featuring none other than high end lyricist, Future. This song speaks of the hero in the mirror, assembling riots for a cause, kinetic energies, while simultaneously Future raps about his girl only wearing shoes costing over a thousand dollars, thousand dollar club champagne, brand new AMG engine coup costing over a hundred thousand, and Rick Owens shopping sprees well over into the thousands. Now that’s 1000. Then out of nowhere a voice clip of one of the greatest “Mikes” to grace this earth, Mike Tyson tells a story of his bouts with fear and how he overcomes it with his “God-like” attributes he brings to the ring to conquer his opponent. Each song on No_One Ever Really Dies is a constant memo to self: do better!
Provocative, informative, cosmic, and eclectics at steroid levels is what No_One Ever Really Dies brings to the creative table. As hard as we try to avoid and turn our noses up at the realities of Ferguson, Baltimore, and the Trump crisis, there is no true escape. Architects of futuristic sounds, N.E.R.D. returns not only with music you can rap hardcore in the mirror to, they also are bringing a futuristic message, that while on this earth alive, we have the powerful ability to be become greater as a society while still maintaining our state of cool. Thank You N.E.R.D.
Rating: 8.6/10
