(t5!) Heroes Of The Zeroes Albums: #25: N.E.R.D. – In Search Of... (2002)

There are still rockist citizens who grew up in the 80’s that are astonished. Hip-hop not only prevailed for this long—considering a lot thought of it to be a fad back then, like the latin explosion or boy bands—it actually became one of the authorities on today’s pop music, governing the charts and changing pop substantially. During rap’s reign as a valid genre, bands who call themselves metal rapped over their virile guitars, pretty boys who call themselves pop emoted over break beats, and high school kids who are wannabe musicians swapped their amateur guitars for starter-kit turntables.

Another evident effect of hip-hop is that its audiences’ intrigue with the people behind the beats. Producers used to be cryptic figures before the zeroes, tweaking knobs and processing sound on the other side of soundproof windows, while the songwriters get all the creative credit and the band gets all the technical accolades. MC’s were getting love, just because they were up front. However, during the zeroes, the producers came out with work that is so sensational (some would argue that there was a run there when the rappers’ work was so not sensational, which is why producers flourished) that they couldn’t be underrated anymore. So the decade introduced its first producer superstars: Timbaland and The Neptunes. They made distinct beats, they made instantaneous hits, and they made stars out of the people affixed to their product—Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Nelly Furtado with Timbo; Britney, N’Sync, Noreaga, Clipse for Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo; Justin Timberlake for both.

No one knows exactly—maybe both want to expand artistically, or maybe both were just bored one day—but both ventured into playgrounds outside the realm of hip-hop. Timbaland did it a little later, but sorta failed other than his collaboration with One Republic “Apologize”. The Neptunes, not only did it first, they did it better, under the name No one Ever Really Dies, or N.E.R.D. acronymically. Their production sound and style have been so eclectic that it wasn’t a shock that their solo effort would also be multifaceted.

In Search Of... is a concept album about love and drugs, the successes and failures both carries. “Bobby James” is a sad story of a reject turning to drugs to cope with his problems; “Baby Doll” chronicles a man’s desperate attempt to hook up; “Am I High” shows that drugs can’t cure all pain; “Tape You” is simple enough: she’s so sexy so he wants to tape her while having intercourse. But a solo Neptunes effort wouldn’t make any sense if the backing music isn’t dazzling, and In Search Of... is pretty much a drug itself sonically. It’s vulgar, intoxicating, simplistic, and tremendously addictive. “Rock Star”, with guitars getting annihilated and with drums getting its living daylights beat out of, is one of the few cases nu-metal is done correctly; “Stay Together” sounds like a cover of “Strawberry Fields Forever” at first with its deformed woodwinds; “Run To The Sun”, with its congregation of twinkling keyboards and rubbery guitars, yields a summery track.

Even Pharrell at the front is pristine. We had a clue that he’d be a terrific lead singer from the chorus hooks he often times falsettos at, but we didn’t know he’d be this charismatic. It just displays that the duo’s talents show no limits, and their imagination and creativity show no bounds. In Search Of… heralded a valiant tomorrow for producers, a future where, even from behind the scenes, they can be considered heroes also.