Obviously, we need to talk about this song. I've read a lot of hot takes on Twitter that I think are getting it all wrong. A lot of people don't like it because it doesn't do what Soundcloud rap is doing now, opting instead for some old N.E.R.D. production tricks and beats we remember from the '00s. Peel down to the layer below that and it's also referencing the golden age of hip-hop from the late '80s to early '90s, when sampling and repeated sampled wordplay was the style. The other thing this track does is bring us Rihanna the rapper for the first time, and whether you think she's good at it or not is so not the point: it forces that conversation about how many women can be on the rap charts at one time. Historically, they only let you have one. So, Rihanna and N.E.R.D. are here to prove that's not true. And, by letting Rihanna do her verse and own her sexuality and gender, Pharrell and Chad Hugo are trying to make good on their history of being less than woke about feminism shout out to "Blurred Lines," never forget). It's a lot to pack into one song, and I'm reserving judgment until I hear more from this project, but I'll take this step with them.