N.E.R.D. x Pharrell. As a faithful fan of N.E.R.D. I’m a bit shocked that they agreed to film and perform for “90210.” As a business man though it’s clear that Pharrell wants his band to reach a much broader demographic with the addition of a female singer and, well, agreeing to do a show that targets females 13-34. If only Brenda and Brandon were here to see this now.

Is N.E.R.D.’s appearance on “90210″ alienating their current fan base or helping expand it?

If it worked for The Black Eyed Peas it can work for N.E.R.D. Regardless if you think BEP sold-out after bringing in Fergie…oh and the million and millions of dollars from corporate sponsorships…there is no denying that it was Fergie who helped make BEP much more accessible to America and Fortune 500 companies.

NERD hopes to play the same game but of course say it’s for the sake of the music as Pharrell officially introduced Toronto Native Rhea to the band. Pharrell stated the following about adding Rhea to the group.

“Musically, we’re just somewhere else [with her],” the producer said. “The music is now very 3-D. It’s something you have to hear. But you’ll see. We’re definitely somewhere else. I want to leave that impact moment for when you purchase your download and you purchase your CD. The music is very three-dimensional. We’re just really excited. We feel like N.E.R.D. has always been the punks of hip-hop and the outcasts of alternative music — just a little different. But this time, we’re taking no prisoners.”

It will be really interesting to see what NERD’s 3-D sound will be like. More commercially viable or sticking to their true alt-punk-hiphop roots?

Chad Hugo x Gatorade. Who said N.E.R.D. and The Neptunes were just Pharrell? In a rare occurance, the OTHER Neptune, Chad Hugo has gone¬†without Pharrell¬†on a new project with Gatorade. Chad and artist Kenna have teamed up with Gatorade for a new ringtone song called “Lock It Up” which will be featured in during tomorrow’s MLB All-Star game. We got the early drop though so download the song by texting “G” to 333-777. WoooHa!

Check out the brand new N.E.R.D. website which has been completely revamped with a old school video game feel and even has an online game where you can play one of your favorite N.E.R.D. artists….complete with Pharrell in his customary BBC and Ice Cream gear.

N.E.R.D. x H&M. Pharrell and company have teamed with clothing line H&M to design a series of shirts with proceeds going to the Fashion Against AIDS, to help fight the disease and raise youth awareness. The collection includes designs by other artists like Tokyo Hotel, Katy Perry and Estelle and all pieces are 100% organic cotton. The clothing line hits stores May 28th.

Jay-Z has been pushing hard for his Obama sponsored “Go Vote” PSA video, now Pharrell and N.E.R.D. are getting into it with this new “Rock The Vote” PSA. And in true N.E.R.D. fashion, Pharrell does all the talking and takes the spotlight. For real though, has anyone ever seen Chad talk before?

 

While main competitor to NBA Live 09, NBA 2k9, has released their soundtrack and hyped up their exclusive track with The Cool Kids, EA Sports and NBA Live have done little in regards to promoting their soundtrack. Both games hit the streets tomorrow. This is a much tougher decision than Barack vs. McCain. Which game will you get? WoooHa, Inc. was finally able to get their hands on the official NBA Live 09 track list and it goes like this. The official trailer features Oakland rap/rock group Flipsyde.

While Clipse is busy promoting their upcoming Re-Up Gang album due out August 5th, Malice and Pusha T have also slowly but surely been pushing their long delayed clothing line Play Cloths as well. Like many hip-hop star founded clothing lines, Play Cloths has been delayed multiple times and was originally announced back in 2007. However there has been some recent promotional activity including these recent pics of Lupe Fiasco and Shae of N.E.R.D. wearing the “official” Play Cloths tee. While Play Cloths is being endorsed by the urban music world there are still no details on an official availability date.

According to official Clipse statements, Play Cloths is stated as a “classic style specifically designed with a rare urban appeal designed for the 21st century style rebel. We blend traditional American style with the French Rivera and Monte Carlo uses of rich, vibrant primary colors to create collectible garments.“

N.E.R.D., Santogold and Julian Casablanca of The Strokes collaborated together on the track “My Drive Thru” as part of their integrated Converse marketing promotion which included outdoor and print campaigns as well. Song was produced by Pharrell with the new video just hitting the net now. Via: NahRight

Pharrell was prominently featured in the recent Convese “Century” ads with artists such as Santogold and Julian Casablanca from The Strokes. It turns out though that the other two members of N.E.R.D., Chad and Shay were also featured in the extended ad campaign which included outdoor advertising shown here. N.E.R.D. aggressively worked with multiple street wear companies and promotional partners such as Zune for their recent album “Seeing Sounds” which is available now. Via: BBC Blog

Zune, still desparate to capture the urban demo from Apple, has teamed up with New Era and artists such as N.E.R.D. and Nelly in a multi-level promotional campaign. New Era will feature 5-7 min. webisodes of N.E.R.D. and Nelly in various activities such as designing an exclusive New Era hat or talking about the latest music they have on their Zune. These webisodes will be seen both on the New Era site and through Zune as well. In addition to the Webisodes, the artists will then design hats for New Era and Zune will then release custom players that feature the cap. N.E.R.D. and their single “Spaz” has already been featured on current Zune ads. Via: Billboard

Pharrell’s Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream line have just released the online version of their Season 7 Lookbook. The book features the newest fashions from the streetwear line and includes N.E.R.D. members Chad, Shay and Pharrell doing their best modeling poses. Check out the Lookbook here.

It’s no secret that Pharrell has always been the more visible outspoken member of super producing group The Neptunes. Even when Chad and Pharrell combine with Shay to form N.E.R.D., it is Pharrell who is always the frontman hyping up the crowd. But this Neptunes art piece created by rising star Shah Wonders begs the questions…who would win in a Chad vs. Pharrell 12-round fight? Check out more of Shah Wonder’s art that is part Murakami and part gritty hip-hop at his MySpace site and the full Neptunes art here…