Video will appear as you scroll through the story
Pharrell Williams · S4 E8
The Clones
The Neptunes Present... Clones — a victory lap disguised as a compilation
August 2003. A compilation album credited not to a rapper or a singer but to two producers debuts at number one on the Billboard 200.
Light Your Ass on Fire (2003). Busta Rhymes and Pharrell on a Clones single that proves the compilation is not a cool-down. It is a flex.
The Victory Lap
Most compilation albums are contractual obligations or label cash grabs. The Neptunes Present... Clones is neither. It is a statement of empire: Pharrell and Chad Hugo gathering their biggest clients onto one tracklist and daring the public to buy an album where the producers are the headliners.
Light Your Ass on Fire -- Busta Rhymes ft. Pharrell (2003)
A pounding four-on-the-floor kick drum, a distorted synth stab, and almost nothing else. Busta Rhymes matches the energy with rapid-fire delivery that treats every bar like a sprint. Pharrell's hook is a chant more than a melody, designed to be shouted back by a crowd. The kick drum carries the track, the synth provides the aggression, Busta provides the chaos.
TAP TO REVEAL: Why is the album called "Clones"?
“We wanted to show that The Neptunes wasn't just a production tag. It was a world. Every artist on the album was a different room in that world.”
— Pharrell Williams, in interviews about Clones (paraphrased)
Hot Damn -- Clipse
The Clipse on the Clones tracklist. Pusha T and Malice deliver another razor-sharp performance over a Neptunes beat. The brothers who opened Season 4 with Grindin' are here at the end, proving they belong on the same compilation as Jay-Z, Snoop, and Busta.
Clones: The File
Which song served as the lead single from The Neptunes Present... Clones?
The Neptunes have proven they can build an empire behind the boards. Now Pharrell wants to know what happens when he steps in front of the microphone for good.
0 XP earned this session
To be continued
Season 5: In My Mind
Coming soon. Enter your email to get notified when new episodes drop.