If Pharrell Williams produces it, it’s a hit and it looks like the King of the South is getting the special treatment. MTV News caught up with the star beat maker, who admitted that in addition to working on the N*E*R*D album Nothing, he’s also been in the lab with one of our troublesome MCs. “Definitely that new T. I., it’s a bunch of nice things coming man,” said Pharrell before acknowledging that he’s left production alone for quite awhile. “Don’t worry, I miss it and I think it misses me too.” Skateboard P also mentioned N*E*R*D’s impending tour. “We’re just warming up for this Gorillaz tour and getting ready for the album to drop,” he said.
“That’s a baby that’s like been taking two years to come out.” The tour with the Brit-based alternative group Gorillaz begins on October 6 in Boston and ends on November 3 in Vancouver, B.C. Meanwhile, N*E*R*D has been working tirelessly on their new album Nothing, adding new bits and crafting remixes like the recent Ciara twist on their single “Hot-N-Fun.” “We’ve been trying to polish up the finishing touches,” says N*E*R*D member Shay Hayley. “We love the body of work that we created so far but we wanted to add some extra bells and whistles just to give people more of an incentive to go out and get it.”
Despite the consistent delay surrounding the release of Nothing, N*E*R*D remains one of the few hip-hop groups that can boast such imaginative in-house producers. “We just like making creative music,” said Pharrell. “Stuff that inspires the kids to make them want to do great things in the world, know that they can be empowered and not just do the same fluff, excuse me, pop stuff that’s out there in the world. We want to continue to reinvigorate and inspire these kids musically.”