N*E*R*D Fly Or Die (Virgin/EMI) Rating: NN
Rating: NN
Having given up trying to do hiphop with instruments, the N*E*R*D alter-ego of the Neptunes production duo Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, with their high school bud Sheldon “Shae” Haley, jettison their backing band Spymob and pick up the instruments for a bit of Prince-inspired foolery on Fly Or Die (out Tuesday). It all comes off like another misguided vanity project of wealthy celebs with too much time on their hands, which proves only that even creative hiphop producers with unlimited time in a fully loaded studio can make a really mediocre rock record.