N.E.R.D have unleashed a new politically charged collaboration with Frank Ocean and Kendrick Lamar titled ‘Don’t Don’t Do It!’.
The new song follows the band’s comeback tracks ‘Lemon‘ with Rihanna, ‘Rollinem 7’s’ with Andre 3000, and ‘1000‘ with Future. ‘Don’t Don’t Do It!‘ was inspired by the death of African American man Keith Scott who was shot fatally by police last year.
Speaking about the track’s meaning to Zane Lowe on his Beats 1 show, Pharrell Williams explains: “They’re telling him to put his hands up or whatever and [Scott’s wife] knows, you can tell in her voice that she see what’s going to happen,” Pharrell said. “She’s saying ‘Don’t do it. Don’t do it Keith. Don’t don’t do it.’ And of course you know the way that turned out, he was killed.” Listen to ‘Don’t Don’t Do It!’ and the other previously released tracks below.
During the interview with Lowe Williams described how Ocean wrote the intro to the new track, compared “incredible, brilliant” Lamar to a jazz musician and confirmed plans for N.E.R.D to tour.
No One Ever Really Dies, the group’s comeback album is due out Friday 15th December.
