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Pharrell Williams · S4 E7
43 Percent
The year The Neptunes produced nearly half of all radio hits
Late 2003. The numbers land on every music executive's desk and stun the entire industry: The Neptunes produced 43 percent of all songs played on American radio in a single week.
Milkshake, Kelis (2003). Three words, one melody, and a beat so minimal it barely exists. The most infectious Neptunes production of the year, peaking at number three on the Hot 100.
Milkshake -- Kelis (2003)
The beat is absurdly minimal: a two-note synth riff, a kick-snare pattern, and hand claps. That is essentially the entire instrumental. "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" is a sing-song cadence that sounds like a playground chant turned into a pop weapon. Kelis delivers it with playful confidence, half singing, half taunting, while the verses stay conversational and cool.
The Range
Snoop Dogg love songs, Justin Timberlake pop anthems, Clipse street rap, Kelis pop hooks, Jay-Z album cuts, Busta Rhymes party records. All playing on the same stations, all in the same year, all made by the same two people. The closest comparison is Motown in the 1960s, but Motown had dozens of writers and producers.
TAP TO REVEAL: How did two people produce 43 percent of American radio?
“We never thought about genre. If the song is good, it's good. We just made what felt right.”
— Pharrell Williams, in interviews about The Neptunes' dominance (paraphrased)
Change Clothes -- Jay-Z ft. Pharrell
The lead single from Jay-Z's The Black Album (2003), supposedly his retirement record. Even on the album Jay-Z called his last, he wanted a Neptunes beat. In 2003, if you made a major rap album, you called Virginia Beach.
In 2003, The Neptunes seemed to produce everything on the radio. Which of these massive 2003 hits was NOT a Neptunes production?
With 43 percent of American radio in their hands, The Neptunes decide to put their name on the front cover for the first time. The Neptunes Present... Clones is coming, a victory lap disguised as a compilation album.
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