Toppa Top 10: The Neptunes’ Most Caribbean Moments

Words by Richard “Treats” Dryden—

The Neptunes—Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo—could be set to take a second victory lap. In addition to making hits like Robin Thicke and T.I.’s current smash “Blurred Lines” and contributing to Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail, the greatest production duo of the past decade has recently reconnected with some of the same artists (N.O.R.E., Pusha T of the Clipse) they launched their career with more than a decade ago.

Jamaica— and the Caribbean as a whole—have influenced the eclectic Neptunes sound throughout their career. Bongos and steel drums have been a reoccurring presence in tracks like Clipse’s “I’m Not You” and “Wamp Wamp” (with Slim Thug), to Britney Spears’ “I’m A Slave 4 U,” which sound more tropical than intergalactic like their namesake. And when it came to pairing their mastery of Jamaican music with artists native to the dancehall scene, Pharrell and Chad had the means to breathe new life into talent like Super Cat and Beenie Man. Now, the Neptunes’ formula of songwriting and supplying hip-hop beats to dancehall icons has worked in reverse with Busta Rhymes, a New Yorker with Jamaican roots, tapping them (or at least Pharrell, as Chad seems to have taken a more background role in recent years) for some Jamaica-inspired heat.

Given how the Neptunes have revisited their own roots lately with Busta’s yardie-flavored “Twerk It,” LargeUp compiled the top Caribbean moments in the history of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.

10. Beenie Man feat. Sean Paul and Lady Saw – “Bossman” (2002)

Three years after Beenie Man made a major splash with the Neptunes on Art and Life, Moses revisited his chemistry with Chad and Pharrell on ’02’s Tropical Storm. “Bossman” was the second single, a more mainstream posse cut featuring two of the biggest names in dancehall at the time, Sean Paul and Lady Saw. It made sense that Beenie Man brought along his contemporary hit-makers with him for the ride on the Virgin Records release.

All three artists appeared in a bashment party-themed video. Yet, with all those pieces in place, the song never charted on Billboard in the U.S. How strange is that? A single produced by the Neptunes in 2003 that didn’t reach the charts. It could have been ahead of its time, sonically. To have three major dancehall artists on the same track that wasn’t a riddim was rare, so there was nothing like it at the time. Plus, coming off the romantic sensation of his collab with Janet Jackson, Beenie Man touting that he’s a gangster for life (before Mavado) might have lost fans who were just warming up to his charm.

9.  Kardinal Offishall – “Belly Dancer” (2003)

Kardinal Offishall was one of the many oft-collaborators of the Neptunes during the nascency of their (and his) career. Having made a breakout appearance on the “Grindin” Selector Remix, his lasting impression with energy and dexterity, rapping in patois was a scene stealer. In ’03, “Belly Dancer” was chosen as a single for his second album, Firestarter Vol. 2: The F-Word Theory on MCA. It was pressed up on 12″ vinyl, and there’s word that a video was slated for production. That same year, MCA folded and the album was never released. Had “Belly Dancer” had an opportunity to reach the mainstream, it would have joined other popular records channeling Bhangra music, like R. Kelly’s “Snake,” Punjabi MC & Jay-Z’s “Beware of the Boys” and Truth Hurts “Addictive”

The beat for “Belly Dancer” wouldn’t go unnoticed by DJs though, especially Cipha Sounds and Max Glazer, who got Super Cat to voice the track. When Star Trak started filling out its roster of talent beyond Clipse, Cipha, their A&R at the time, signed Super Cat. Although Super Cat’s Star Trak debut never happened, this footnote of Cat’s career produced a promo mix featuring his “Weed Man” Remix over the “Belly Dancer” beat.

8. Vybz Kartel, Wayne Marshall, Jay-Z and Pharrell – “Frontin’ (Remix)” (2003)

2003’s Def Jamaica album was a true fusion of dancehall and reggae with hip-hop. One of the most important record labels, Def Jam brought Method Man and Redman together with Damian Marley; Beenie Man and DTP’s Shawna; Pharrell and Jay-Z with Vybz Kartel and Wayne Marshall, on a remix of the chart-topping Pharrell single “Frontin.” The result was a Grammy nominated album, and a watershed moment for dancehall and hip-hop together. Who knew Hov and Vybz had a track together?

7. Beenie Man and Kelis – “Jamaica Way” (2000)

One of the great things about the early days of any new producer’s career is the familiarity of the instruments they use in their beats. The guitar chords on“Jamaica Way” were similar to the opening riff of N.E.R.D.’s “Lapdance” and “Truth or Dare.” The criticism the Neptunes would receive for repetition like that (see also the martian-like drops on records for Jay-Z and Britney Spears) comes from not understanding how artists build a reputation—through familiarity. It’s not so much what they used at that time, but how they used it. On “Jamaica Way” the sound effect was played differently than the other records, raising the tempo of this Beenie Man and Kelis collab, a slept-on anthem for Jamaican pride.

6. Clipse feat. Jadakiss & Styles P – “I’m Not You”(2002)

Steel drums are another reoccurring element of the Neptunes sound. The reverberating clang on round bowls of metal is synonymous with the sound of the islands. One of the first and finest examples of the pair’s use of this instrument (along with drug-trafficking, hustler-turned-rapper themes) is this infectious posse cut from Clipse’s Lord Willin LP. Like the guitar riffs we previously mentioned, the steel drums would help to define another Clipse classic “Wamp Wamp (What it Do)” featuring Slim Thug. Coming up, rapper Gunplay is said to have a song produced by the Neptunes called, yes, “Steel Drums.”

5. Busta Rhymes feat. Nicki Minaj — “Twerk It (Remix)” (2013)

Busta’s Jamaican accent is as iconic as the onomatopoeia of his dungeon dragon impression from A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario.” “Twerk It” is the latest single produced by Pharrell to tap into this aspect of Busta’s personality and background. Bussa Buss’ take on the current twerking phenomenon is a return to his care-free, animated side, with a Jamaican twist. He’s laid back with his delivery, yet every word is as commanding as his previous efforts at rapping in patois, like “Make It Clap” with Sean Paul and the remix of the Neptunes-produced “Kill Dem” with Mavado and Bounty Killer.

“Twerk It” comes along at a perfect time right now, when hip-hop is once again embracing Jamaican culture. It screamed for a guest verse from Nicki Minaj, who never disappoints when she represents for the islands with her own Trini spin on patois. Speaking of screaming, pay special attention to vocalist Tosh, also channeling her own Jamaican roots, on the intro of “Twerk It” (and on the chorus of “Kill Dem.”)

4. Beenie Man and Mya – “Girls Dem Sugar” (2000)

Pharrell and Chad were making number one tunes just like Moses predicted on the intro for “Girls Dem Sugar.”  “Girls Dem Sugar” was essentially a hip-hop continuation of Beenie’s career-defining dancehall smash “Who Am I,” with Pharrell reciting Beenie’s “sim simma” lyrics for the chorus. Reinterpreting earlier music through the Neptunes lens has always been part of the producers’ formula. It’s because of Hugo and Williams’ upbringing playing in bands since high school. When they put their spin on a record (not sampling), like the Neptunes take on Michael Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It” for “Frontin,” it’s their way of embracing the past to write a new history. And, to this day, “Girls Dem Sugar” can be played in the same set as its dancehall counterpart, “Who Am I.”

3. The Neptunes feat. Super Cat and Jadakiss – “The Don of All Dons (Put De Ting Pon Dem)” (2003)

The Neptunes Present… Clones was a pivotal moment for Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams. Not only did it serve as the appetizer for Pharrell’s solo career after its lead single, “Frontin,” was an instant smash, it offered an introduction to their then-new label, Star Trak Entertainment. The music industry was in flux, though. As their parent label Arista closed up shop, Star Trak suffered, and so did the potential for Super Cat to potentially write a new chapter in his legendary career. “The Don of All Dons” was a proper re-introduction for Cat to declare himself as a veteran to the dancehall community and even hip-hop—he namechecks the Notorious B.I.G., who got one of his earliest looks on Super Cat’s “Dolly My Baby” remix. Maybe around that time, if Jada and Super Cat had crossed paths, they shared stories about B.I.G.

As the story to “Don of All Dons” goes, the beat was originally given to Foxy Brown for her album, Ill Nana 2: The Fever. Like the Neptunes and their label woes, Foxy Brown also didn’t get to see the fruits of her labor because Def Jam didn’t release the album. For the title of Foxy’s record to be called “The Original,” (be sure and listen to that one, too—the patois-slangin’ Foxy deserves a big honorebel mention for it), it’s almost as if the universe intended it for the original don dada—Super Cat.

2. Beenie Man feat. Janet Jackson, “Feel It Boy” (2002)

For “Feel It Boy” on Beenie Man’s 2002 album Tropical Storm, the Neptunes pulled a real coup and got the queen of pop Janet Jackson in a dancehall mindset. Janet even went down a yaad for the video, frolicking on the beach  ‘longside Mr. Moses. Or at least, that’s what they’d like you to believe: the principal scenes were shot in Malibu. While the song was a modest hit, Janet would later distance herself from the track following controversy over some of Beenie’s uh, other lyrics. It’s still a jam, though.

1. Clipse feat. Sean Paul, Bless and Kardinal Offishall – “Grindin’ (Selector Remix)” (2002)

“Grindin” is by far one of the most complex records in the Neptunes catalog. The arrangement of all the percussion elements is far from standard. The addition of the shuttering sound effect and the melodic echoes were a challenge at first for Pusha T. Once he rapped on the beat–at the request of Pharrell who according to rumor, threatened to give the beat to Jay-Z–Pusha set the standard for those who would add on with remixes. The “Selector Remix” was distributed on vinyl with another set of remixes including one with Baby, Lil Wayne and N.O.R.E. The massive-sounding “Grindin'” proved to be the perfect soundbed for the stylings of dancehall star Sean Paul and yardie rappers Kardinal Offishall and Bless, each of whom shreds the beat in their own way.

(For more on the Clipse x dancehall, see “Heds & Dreds: Pusha T, G.O.O.D. Music’s Top Shotta”-Ed)

+1. 2 Chainz feat. Pharrell – “Feds Watching” (2013)

The feel-good party vibe created with synthesizers on records by Prince, Slave, and Rick James in the ’80s inspired the Neptunes to use similar percussion instruments during their reign over radio playlists. The Neptunes have also channeled the dark side of the ’80s, via the drug dealer fantasy made popular in Scarface. Pharrell’s reggae-influenced beat for “Feds Watching,” 2 Chainz’s latest single, is cinematic, full of outlaw grandeur. Its cruising tempo seems meant to evoke a speedboat in Miami about to make a drop, and musically the song makes a successful drop of its own, with snare drums matching 2 Chainz’s reference to his dreadlocks. Even the video reminds us of another covert killer, Ms. Chiquita from Belly, as she ominously slithers through scenes. By the end of “Feds Watching,” a voice appears speaking in patois. Could it be 2 Chainz, or someone trying to do their best impression of Louie Rankin (as “Lennox”) in Belly?