And “production” here doesn’t mean Martin Hannett or Steve Albini twiddling knobs behind the soundboard, but the entire beat making and chorus-writing package.

In 2001 alone, the duo served as producers or remixers on a staggering 100+ songs, including three albums (Kelis’s Wanderland, the bulk of Philly’s Most Wanted’s Get Down or Lay Down, and their own N.E.R.D. The secret of their success was, first and foremost, their ability to create sparsely arranged, instantly compelling grooves using a futuristic sonic palette-and then slap a monster hook on them.īut the Neptunes’ ubiquity also reflected the sheer volume of their production output. Pharrell and Chad’s impact over this stretch on the entire pop music landscape (“I’m a Slave 4 U,” “Hot in Herre,” “Rock Your Body,” and countless other Winamp “Party Mix” smashes) is well-documented. When you ask that question, nine times out of ten the response will be a track recorded during the duo’s golden era- a 10-year run that begins with Mase’s “Lookin’ at Me,” arguably climaxes with “Grindin” (or maybe “What Happened To That Boy”), and ends with every single banger on Hell Hath No Fury. Pete Hunt is outside of Popeyes eating chicken and fries. Please support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon. She did contribute writing and vocals to some of the songs The Neptunes worked on for other artists, and also left us with this gem.We keep the streets so numb, they call us Novocaine.

The singer was originally signed to The Neptunes label Star Trak but unfortunately never released an album with them. Included on the UK Edition of Beyonce’s debut solo album “Dangerously in Love” in 2003, The Neptunes produced “First Time”. The Neptunes contributed the funky song “Till the Morning” to Mary J. “My Life” is a standout album track that features Kelis on background vocals.Īlthough The Neptunes are more known for their work with Omarion on the single “Touch”, “Obession” is an overlooked gem from his sophomore album “21”. Each of the songs contain The Neptunes signature sound, and “Dirty Girl” and “House Party” became singles. The Neptunes contributed six songs to the debut album “Dirty Girl Wrong Girl Bad Girl” of young r&b singer Latrelle who was signed to Arista Records. Along with producing the smash singles “Like I Love You” and “Rock Your Body”, they had seven songs in total and “Let’s Take a Ride” is a standout. A few years ago, another Joe song produced by The Neptunes called “Gone Away” popped up and currently remains unreleased.Īmong The Neptunes best work in the 2000’s was for pop star Justin Timberlake’s debut album “Justified”. Included on Joe’s 2001 album “Better Days”, this is a more subdued The Neptunes production that was created many years earlier, in contrast to their signature electronic sound. The Neptunes production on the song gives it a whole new feel. Stashed away on the obscure “Urban Renewal: The Songs of Phil Collins” tribute album, Brian McKnight contributed a great cover of Phil’s timeless song “I Wish it Would Rain Down”. “Stressed Out” would have also made a great choice, even if it’s not what you expect from Babyface.īrian McKnight – I Wish It Would Rain Down ( Listen Here) When Babyface released his album “Face 2 Face” in 2001, he chose another The Neptunes produced song, “There She Goes”, as the first single. Really, you could have chosen many songs from this album, but “I Want Your Love” is a standout. Since The Neptunes originally made their mark in r&b on their artist Kelis’ debut album “Kaleidescope”, it’s only right we start with a song from that album. (Click Any Song Title to Listen to That Song) Here’s what we came up with when selecting the best overlooked songs in The Neptunes production discography. With this article, we hope to shine light on some of their best produced songs for other artists that never became singles and have gone overlooked through the years. Their success in R&B, hip-hop and beyond continues still to this day, as Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo remain among the most in demand producers out there. By dominating the radio by churning out smash hit after smash hit with their signature sound, it pushed music in a whole new direction. When the production team The Neptunes emerged in the late 90’s, they changed the landscape of music in a profound way.

The neptunes