Although their days of being guaranteed hitmakers may be behind them, the Neptunes production team has had a surprisingly long run. A decade after their beats cracked the charts, they continue to work with just about every big-name rapper and pop star in the industry.
By comparison, N.E.R.D., the funk-rock band spearheaded by the Neptunes, was a flash in the pan. The group cut one outstanding, mildly popular 2002 record, In Search Of..., then disappeared after a lackluster follow-up, 2004's Fly or Die.
After the commercial failure of Pharrell Williams' unloved solo debut, In My Mind, it seemed as if the public had spoken: They still liked Neptunes beats well enough, but they had tired of Pharrell as a star. The days of Pharrell cameos in every other music video were over. The Neptunes continued to earn paychecks producing songs for just about every major hip-hop release, but these songs were no longer singles.
It's heartening to see that instead of resigning themselves to fading away, however, Pharrell and company have made one more push for the limelight. He got the old band back together, and this month N.E.R.D. returned with a ridiculously catchy leaked singled, "Everyone Nose." With its shout-along hook, sax and double-bass beat and showy piano breakdown, this is vintage N.E.R.D., equal parts Three 6 Mafia and Steely Dan. Even without an official video, the track won over the Internet in the last week, lighting up blogs and whetting appetites for the group's forthcoming disc, N*3*R*D. In the coming months, the group with join Lupe Fiasco and Rihanna for Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark" tour, which almost certainly won't stop in Milwaukee. In the meantime, though, here's one of those makeshift fan videos for "Everyone Nose."
Train with Tim0
Eighteen-year-old Ian Lafferty sets out on a cross country drive with his best
friends Lance and Felicia in order to lose his virginity to a red-hot babe he
met on the Internet. But the journey, filled wi
"Body of Lies" is based on "Washington Post" columnist David Ignatius' 2007
novel about a CIA operative, Roger Ferris, who uncovers a lead on a major
terrorist leader suspected to be operating out of J
Ry Cooder's California trilogy started purposefully and thematically with Chavez Ravine, turned old-time-radio wistful on My Name is Buddy, and now takes a complete header into the deep end for the concluding I, Flathead. Assuming the point of view
Genesis skipped Wisconsin during last year's reunion tour, but the three-DVD box set When In Rome 2007 spectacularly captures what we missed. Although original
frontman Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett passed on this tour,
the incarnation
Michael Polaski’s Umami Moto is already a familiar dining spot in Brookfield, where it has gained note for its menu of Asian fusion. A second Umami Moto opened in downtown Milwaukee this summer, located on Milwaukee Street in the former Eve. This ti
The Painted Parrot (8028 W. National Ave.) is a fun, colorful restaurant that follows a Caribbean theme. Jamaican murals cover the walls and reggae music blasts from behind the large bar. The menu wanders through the Caribbean with a few Louisiana touches
