Recently, rappers Pusha T and Jay-Z reunited once again for a new track, “Neck & Wrist.” While the song is incredible in part because of their verses, the person who really makes the song work is Pharrell Williams. Also featured on the track, Pharrell performs the hook on the song, but his greatest impact comes in the song’s production.
Pharrell’s beat for this song is luxurious yet otherwordly and a bit ethereal. He accomplished this by interpolating 50 Cent’s “Window Shopper,” warping its sound by speeding and pitching it up to create a unique beat. He also adds in some random voices and yells, further improving the song’s eerie vibe. The result is an oddly incredible beat which the vocals simply glide over.
The song is just a great example of how impactful great beats are. While this song is great, Push and Jay both had better verses on their previous collaboration “Drug Dealers Anonymous,” this song will assuredly have more staying power because it simply feels better to listen to. Listening to the instrumental alone makes that perfectly clear, it feels like the priority of the song of its incredible, looping beat which feeds into its chorus, the verses are simply afterthoughts.
A Community Audio Journal