N.E.R.D., the Virginia based funk rock band fronted by Pharrell Williams, has teamed up Rihanna for their return single “Lemon.” This single signifies the first release from the trio since 2014, as well as their first non-soundtrack song since 2010. Produced by Pharrell and Kuk Harrell, the record blends two their two notable styles to make a loud, funky return to rap music.
Rihanna flexes on this track with a concise verse, without melody or auto-tune. Rihanna raps “This here ain’t a scrimmage / Mothaf—a we ain’t finished” which relates heavily to her amazing year in the industry. Pharrell follows with a similar verse in style, except he goes into more opinionated detail, many times references his views on immigration and President Trump.
N.E.R.D reunited at Complexcon, where they screened their upcoming album for fans and dropped their new clothing merch. After a couple quiet years, N.E.R.D is making a big comeback and we hope to see more of this funky side of rap music from this trio in the upcoming future.
In the meantime, check out N.E.R.D.’s Complexcon performance on Nov. 4