N*E*R*D recently released the video for their new single, “Hot-N-Fun,” featuring Nelly Furtado. The colorful visual was directed by Swedish film/ music video director Jonas Akerland, whose résumé includes videos for Madonna, The Prodigy and, most recently, Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” and “Telephone” clips. Pharrell Williams told MTV News earlier this month that N*E*R*D’s brand-new video was a mixture of elements, but it could all be summed up with one phrase: “baba cool.” “There’s a French expression which is called ‘baba cool,’ which is from the late ’60s, early ’70s, and it’s like the mixture of posh, bohemian and art,” P said.
“That’s pretty much the theme of the album.” In the video, the trio is seen driving their Rolls-Royce through the desert, dressed in a mix of fur, leather, camouflage and apparently whatever else they could get their hands on that had feathers of some sort.The Rolls is painted in vivid, almost hallucinogenic-inspired colors and graphics, courtesy of artist collective FriendsWithYou. Pharrell explained how they first linked up with the talented collaborative in Miami. “We told them we wanted something that was psychedelic, something that paid homage to the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine and the Magical Mystery Tour.” Nelly Furtado, who provides the song’s hooks, also turns up singing in a cloud formation created by FriendsWithYou.
But Furtado isn’t the only female keeping N*E*R*D company: A bevy of young ladies comes along for the ride, dressed in matching boho gear, though slightly more scantily clad. “As you can see, we had a plethora of women, all shapes and sizes, all shades and colors, and they definitely added a cool, sexy element to the video,” groupmate Shay Haley said. “This video is every man’s dream.” N*E*R*D expect to release their fourth studio LP on September 7, and was something like a psychedelic ride. Pharrell told us Nothing. “The music is very psychedelic for the most part — 80 percent of it is definitely flower-power, counterculture, release and let yourself be free and have a great time!”