Does The N.E.R.D. Song ‘Lemon’ Owe Its Success To New Orleans Bounce? [VIDEO]
You've heard Rihanna rapping on the N.E.R.D. jam, 'Lemon'—but does it owe a lot to NOLA Bounce?
A really slick video poses the question while giving a really interesting background on the infectious music that is native to the Big Easy, but heard worldwide through songs that "borrow" from the NOLA Bounce recipe.
The visual is actually the final episode of Vox's Earworm video series and features the one and only Big Freedia to help explain the history of bounce music in New Orleans and how N.E.R.D.'s hit song is directly connected to its unique sound.
Its sound is quintessential Pharrell: happy, energetic, and bouncy. The more I listened to it though, the more I realized that its bouncy energy was inspired by a genre of hip-hop that has rarely trickled into the mainstream - New Orleans Bounce. To learn more about the genre and to get the definitive answer on whether "Lemon" is a bounce song, I spoke with Big Freedia, a Native of New Orleans and an artist widely credited with bringing bounce music to the masses.
I love bounce music and I love the new song by N.E.R.D.—and even though I believe there are other songs that have more of a bounce "influence" it's still cool to see this local sound get proper credit and exposure.
A few years back, Diplo dropped a video very similar that did a good job of explaining the background of the bounce scene in New Orleans but I feel like Vox definitely went above and beyond to really get to the origin of the niche genre.
Share this with anyone who loves bounce music and spread the knowledge!