If N.E.R.D’s addition of sexy female memberRhea turns them into ubiquitous, radio mainstays (a la Black Eyed Peas post-Fergie), it won’t be because they started making sellout, pop music. The Pharrell-fronted band performed a record by the name of “WTF” or “Radio” on 90210 last night, and it seems like they aren’t making any drastic departures from their beloved signature sound. Which is good, because the new song sounds dope. We’re looking forward to hearing the full version on Instant Gratification sometime next year. Nevermind the corny dude raising the roof at the 50 second mark though. We usually don’t watch this show either.
Tune in to Complex.com every morning at 8 AM for your daily “Wake N’ Watch” video.
Left To Right: Pharrell, Big Boi, Brandon Flowers, Young Jeezy, Tyga
Each day Complex scours the music blogs for 5 fresh songs that you should listen to in our 5 O’Clock Shuffle post. Instead of going crazy trying to keep up with your RSS feeds everyday, just head over to Complex.com to stay up-to-date on important leaks and releases.
Sometimes we have to look everywhere for the five songs on our Shuffle playlist. Not today. Notable leaks from big artists in the past 24 hours were plentiful and we’ve rounded up the best of the bunch. N.E.R.D teamed up with Santigold. Big Boi did the same with Gucci Mane. The Killers rocked out for the unexpectedly dope Twilight soundtrack. Yeah, we got all of that and more. Keep reading to start listening and downloading…
If you’re gonna be in New Orleans tomorrow night (Thursday, October 8), then we’ve got the show for you, whoadie! In the latest event from Heineken’s Red Star Soul concert series, N.E.R.D., Mickey Factz and DJ Jus Ske will be joining forces at an undisclosed location. For a shot at winning 2 tickets, answer a simple trivia question below…
A teaspoon of sugar helps the medicine go down and a sexy singer/dancer/pantominer helps stale pop groups sell records. It’s pretty simple. Take a middling, directionally challenged musical group that can’t seem to get their albums to chart, add a sexy female and BAM! Success strikes and the group will start selling out the Garden, performing for the President and their lead singer will appear as a hologram on CNN to give his take on the current political climate. Or so it went for the Black Eyed Peas when will.i.am smartened up and recruited Fergie to join the group back in ‘03.
Now it seems Pharrell wants to do the same with N.E.R.D. Recently, a PYT has been seen accompanying P, Chad and Shay on stage at various tour stops, leaving people wondering who she was. Then Star Trak rapper Fam-Lay was kind enough to clear up the confusion via Twitter, letting the world know that the girl in question was named Rhea and that she was the newest member of N.E.R.D. Oh yeah, and that she’s dope! But just how dope is she? Is she good enough to make N.E.R.D. sell a milli and get Pharrell on MSNBC as a talking head? In other words, is she as good as Fergie? Keep reading for our comparison, then vote for your favorite token female…
After 2008 saw everyone from Justin Timberlake to Jay-Z rocking suit vests, we thought the multi-use layering piece was going to take its rightful place along side the cardigan as a go-to garment. Then for some reason they began to fade from the red carpet like Nicole Ritchie. But what goes around comes around, so it’s no surprise that we’re starting to see a bunch of dudes incorporating the suit vest into their outfits once again. Most recently we’ve seen Chris Brown wearing it with a casual slant, Pharrell mixing high and low (if you could call LV denim “low”), and Cash Money’s newest recruit, Bow Wow, fully suited up. You already know the deal, all three dudes rocked it their own way, but who wore it better? Vote below…
Despite owning one of the hottest street wear brands on the market, when it comes to his personal fashion, Pharrell keeps it surprisingly simple. He may throw on a couple iced out chains, belt buckles and G-Shocks, but beneath the flashy accessories, the Imperial P usually just rocks a t-shirt and jeans (usually BBC Ice Cream) and some Vans. And his summer wardrobe seems to be no different.
In this picture that he posted to his Honyee blog, Pharrell, standing in what we can only imagine to be an airfield for private jets, is sporting a white tee, shorts, a straw fedora and a bag that probably cost more than your parents car. But, bag aside, this is a look that can work for anyone—those with Skateboard P dough and those using a skateboard as primary transportation. We’ll show you how to do it, son…
The days of “toned down” kicks are slowly slipping away. Don’t get it confused, we’re still into understated footwear, it’s just sometimes we like to wear look-at-me sneakers like this Straight Logo Pattern Chukka From Billionare Boys Club. Not only are the denim dressed uppers are stamped with BBC, so you won’t have to field “what are those?” questions, but like most of Pharrell’s products, they’re probably going to be a bit more limited. Check for them to hit BBC stores this month. $230, www.bbcicecream.com
Remember when boots were worn during the winter? Or better yet, when riding boots were actually used for riding horses? Well, it seems a couple of celebs are breaking both those rules by rocking high boots in the warm weather. Among the rebels: Pharrell, on his equestrian path, taking it up a notch by sporting riding boots to The Serpentine Gallery, Taz Arnold featured in the latest YRB magazine, and of course Andre 3000 who’s always pushing the limits. Now that you’ve seen them all rocking the tall boots, the question is: who rocked it better? Cast your vote below!
The BBC/Ice Cream Fall/Winter 2009 “Hunting Pattern” collection drops tomorrow at BBC stores (click here for the preview we did back in June), featuring everything from pants and Blazers to smaller accessories like wallets in this Equestrian-inspired print. Sure, your average W.A.S.P. (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) is a dickhead, but they’ve got one thing right—summer style. This Nantucket/Vineyard/Hamptons look is the only real way to get decked out during the hot months, so the fact that Pharrell’s brand is doing a modern take on the classic style has us psyched.
Go to the BBC stores and retailers this weekend if you’re feeling this stuff (here’s the full lookbook), and if you’re trying to complete the look with a few more “out there” pieces, we put together a quick W.A.S.P.-friendly buyer’s guide of some additional brands who are also running with this casual-preppy summer steez…
Sure you might have had a few of them when Pharrell,Justin Timberlake, and Ashton Kutcher were wearing them in 2003, but like it or not, trucker hats are making a come back in 2009. These foam-front, mesh-side, snap back-having hats might have lost their popularity in the last couple years (unless you’re a big Ed Hardy fan), but streetwear staples like The Hundreds, Supreme, BBC, and Stussy have included them in their spring/summer 2009 lookbooks. Are you ready to embrace them again? Vote whether to ‘HUMP’ or ‘DUMP’ the trend below…
