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Pharrell Williams · S4 E5
Hot in Herre
Nelly, Pharrell, and the song of Summer 2002
Summer 2002. A Neptunes beat built on a Chuck Brown sample spends seven straight weeks at number one, and a rapper from St. Louis becomes the biggest name in music.
Hot in Herre (2002). Seven weeks at number one. The Neptunes' first chart-topper on the Hot 100, and the song that soundtracked every party, every club, and every car ride of summer 2002.
The Unlikely Pairing
Nelly is not an obvious Neptunes client. He is a pop-rapper from St. Louis whose style is built for parties, not for the minimalist cool The Neptunes are known for. But Pharrell hears the pairing before anyone else does: Nelly's voice is built for hooks, and The Neptunes are built for grooves.
Hot in Herre -- Nelly (2002)
The beat is deceptively simple: a chopped vocal sample from Chuck Brown's "Bustin' Loose," a punchy kick drum, and a synth line that rises and falls like a temperature gauge. Nelly's delivery is loose and conversational, riding the groove rather than fighting it. The hook is so simple it sounds like it wrote itself. Seven weeks at number one, and The Neptunes' first track to reach the top of the Hot 100.
TAP TO REVEAL: What classic genre is hiding inside the "Hot in Herre" beat?
“The groove was so thick you could feel it in your chest. I didn't have to think about what to write. The beat told me exactly what it needed.”
— Nelly, in interviews about recording Hot in Herre (paraphrased)
Pass the Courvoisier Part II -- Busta Rhymes ft. P. Diddy & Pharrell
Another Neptunes party anthem from the same summer. While Nelly owns the #1 spot, Busta Rhymes tears up clubs with this Pharrell-produced track. In 2002, you could not go to a party without hearing a Neptunes beat.
Hot in Herre: The Numbers
What was the name of the Nelly album that featured "Hot in Herre"?
The Neptunes have given Nelly the song of the summer and Timberlake the album of the year. Now Snoop Dogg calls Pharrell and asks for something nobody expects: a love song.
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