Pharrell says a song on N.E.R.D.’s new album was inspired by the police killing of Keith Scott

N.E.R.D. premiered No_One Ever Really Dies at ComplexCon over the weekend.

November 06, 2017

🍋🍋Complexcon🍋🍋

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On Saturday night, N.E.R.D. fans at ComplexCon were treated to a live listening session of No_One Ever Really Dies, the group's first new album in seven years. Their appearance, which came two days after the release of their Rihanna-featuring single "Lemon," featured live choreography as the crowd listened to the upcoming 11-song project as well as song intros from Pharrell.

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As NPR points out, "Don't Don't Do It," a track featuring Kendrick Lamar, addresses the 2016 police killing of Keith Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina. Onstage, Pharrell spoke about watching the video of Scott's death at the hands of police. In the clip, Scott's wife can be heard pleading with police, "Don't, don't do it!"

"I thought to myself, "She knows her husband is gonna die,'" he said. "And I knew in my mind, man, that's a chorus. The only thing that video is missing is melody and music."

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See the tracklist for the upcoming album below.

N.E.R.D. No_One Ever Really Dies tracklist:

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1. "Everybody Hurts"
2. "Lemon" f. Rihanna
3. "Voíla" f. Wale and Gucci Mane
4. "1000" f. Future
5. "Don't Don't Do It" f. Kendrick Lamar
6. "Kites" f. M.I.A. and Kendrick Lamar
7. "ESP"
8. "Lightning Fire Magic Prayer"
9. 'Rollinem 7s" f. Andre 3000
10. "Lifting" you f. Ed Sheeran
11. "Secret Life Of Tigers"

Thumbnail image: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images.

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Pharrell says a song on N.E.R.D.’s new album was inspired by the police killing of Keith Scott