Seasons change, flowers wither, species evolve, relationships grow apart and not a lot in life is left stable. But there are a few things in life that remain constant and remind you of your past and who you are, and there’s always a handful of artists that can take you back to a certain era of your life to keep you balanced. For me, The Neptunes are the earliest recollection I have of that kind of stability next to the Hindi and Tamil music that I grew up listening to. There was a time when everything Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams even glanced at would turn into total gold in most of our eyes. Regrettably, somewhere along the way they turned inconsistent. Not bad, just inconsistent. I stopped obsessing and chose to treasure the collection till about 2008. I’m okay with it, because in a case like that it’s best to let the good past overshadow the weird present.

However, every once in a while they still drop a beat so dope that it takes me straight back to 2003 in the best possible way. I’m happy that today is another day like that. There’s something about The Neptunes collaborating with Southern rappers that can get into total hit or miss situations, and this new one is a total hit. With the release of Gucci Mane’s new album The Appeal also comes a new track called Haterade, featuring fresh flow by Gucci himself, smooth honey vocals by Pharrell and a sharp verse by everyone’s current favourite Nicki Minaj. This is just what you need to leave the summer behind. This is exactly what people ask for when they beg and plead for the old Star Trak vibes to return. So thanks for getting oldschool on us for this one, Neptunes. Ladies and gentlemen! Get down, you are now listening to the real. And that would be Gucci, Nicki, The Neptunes… and the old label. Star Trak! ?

GUCCI MANE – HATERADE (FEAT. PHARRELL & NICKI MINAJ) (320 kbps)