The Neptunes' Best Beats

When Mystikal tells you to shake ya ass, you shake it!

See part 1 here

Clarification: I'm ranking their best Hip-Hop beats

5. "What Happened to That Boy" - Baby ft. Clipse


BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Birdman. He's fly in any weather. While "What Happened To That Boy" is clearly the most intimidating song ever written with a bird call in the chorus, it's also a great example of the Neptunes' minimalist style. The beat itself only consists of a short synth loop, rhythmic handclaps and a short drum break at the start of each bar. Chad and Pharrell leave it to the rappers to fill in the blanks, providing the ice-cold ambience that Pusha T and Malice of the Clipse love. The iciness of the beat even manages to make Baby (or Birdman, or whatever) seem intimidating. To show how simple the original beat is, I'm embedding the intrumental, too.



4. "Drop it Like It's Hot" - Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell


SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP. Speaking of minimalism, the beat for "Drop It Like It's Hot" is about has sparse as they come, consisting of mainly percussion - the only truly "musical" aspects of this beat are the saw breakdowns that precede each chorus and the instantly catchy "Snoooop" chant. The true hooks, however, come from the percussion, particularly the tongue clicks, a great example of the percussive flourishes that define the Neptunes Sound. "Drop It Like It's Hot" is probably one of the strangest songs ever to reach the top of the charts, and it's a tribute to The Neptunes' skill that they can make a huge dancefloor hit out of such few, unusual parts.

3. "Shake Ya Ass"/"Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against the Wall)" - Mystikal


While rappers like Lil Wayne, Birdman and Master P are from New Orleans, Mystikal makes New Orleans rap. The beats for "Shake Ya Ass," and especially "Bouncin' Back" draw from New Orleans' rich jazz culture, with the Neptunes forsaking their usual synth-driven sound for a more organic brass band flavor. These two songs are perhaps the best example of how the Neptunes are able to work towards the strengths of the artist. Mystikal's flow is unconventional, to say the least, full of random shouts and pauses. It's fitting that the "Bouncin' Back" video takes place in a mental institution. The Neptunes' beats perfectly suit Mystikal's rabid-dog energy, leaving him space to work, while adding regional flourishes.

"Shake Ya Ass" was one of the Neptunes' first major hits, reaching #13 on the Billboard Charts in 2000. The beat is colored by maracas, bongos, jazz flute and keyboard, and accordion. The drums, however, retain the Neptunes' main trademark, such as the big bass drum hits, that can be found in Ludacris' "Southern Hospitality" and Jay-Z's "I Just Wanna Love U." "Shake Ya Ass" features Pharrell on the chorus, inviting girls to the dancefloor, giving Mystikal's rants commercial appeal.

"Bouncin' Back" is arguably a better song, and definitely better encapsulates the New Orleans sound (David Simon even used it in an episode of Treme). Here, the Neptunes deviate from their normally minimalist approach, making it sound as if Mystikal is fronting an entire Jazz Band, with alto sax, trumpets, woodblocks and trombone, complete with noise from the crowd. "Bouncin' Back" showcases the Neptunes use of live-in-studio instrumentation, which, in Hip-Hop usually only heard on Roots albums. Part Busta Rhymes, part James Brown, Mystikal kills the track, and with the Neptunes, creates one of the few Hip-Hop songs that could conceivably be used in a second line.




2. "Hot in Herre" - Nelly



The ultimate Neptunes party jam, as well as one of the biggest hits of the 2000s. The best part about the beat is the slow-build intro, a perfect preview to the Neptunes' bounciest and funkiest beat. "Hot in Herre" is a great example of the party-time Neptunes, which I've sadly underrepresented on this list. The beat to "Hot in Herre" is not dissimilar to "Shake Ya Ass," as both have minor key keyboard riffs and unconventional percussion (sounds sorta like a cowbell on this one) and reminds me of a bouncier, souped up version of "I Just Wanna Love U." "Hot in Herre" is a precursor to what I like to call the Neptunes' "Life of Luxury" era (see "Excuse Me Miss," or basically any other post-2003 Neptunes collaboration with Jay-Z, or Snoop's "Beautiful"), as "Hot in Herre" has an airy quality that is absent from the other beats on the list.

1. "Grindin'" - Clipse


"Grindin'," composed of drums that sound like doors slamming and a popcorn synth line, is the best example of the Neptunes' minimalist style. "Grindin'" is a clear precursor to "Drop It Like It's Hot," and has an almost primal energy, disturbing the listener, while making him bob his head.

Honorable Mentions: "Beautiful" - Snoop Dogg; "I Just Wanna Love U (Give it 2 Me)" - Jay-Z; "La-La-La" - Jay-Z; "Southern Hospitality" - Ludacris

Bonus list: The Neptunes' five best Pop beats:

1. "Milkshake" - Kelis
2. "Like I Love You" - Justin Timberlake
3. "Rock Your Body" - Justin Timberlake
4. "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani
5. "Señorita" - Justin Timberlake