"Lemon" is Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo's comeback hit as N*E*R*D, an outré funk rock side project that began when the two meet as teenagers, and which has mostly been dormant since 2010. Williams begins the track by hinting at a promise of greater sociopolitical consciousness: 'The truth will set you free/ But first, it'll piss you off'. He claims to be 'Mad ethnic right now', but this anger takes a backseat when he raps. There are references to the right to gun ownership, immigration policy, misconceptions about him being part-Asian ('Hate! Hatin' niggas can't believe my race') and an allusion to the 2012 Miami cannibal attack ('Bath salt, bitin' speakers in the face'). "Lemon" will nevertheless be mostly remembered for its undeniable bop potential. The relentless drum machine, blippy synths, and glitchy samples create a beat you have to groove to, as Pharrell 'Bae' Mette Towley does with memorable vigor.
Rihanna steals most of the stage from Pharell, but she does give him and Hugo credit for the song's production: 'This beat tastes like lunch'. Given the success of her recent collaboration with Kendrick Lamar ("LOYALTY") and rap's recent domination of the charts, perhaps rapping is the latest weapon in an arsenal designed for domination of the singles chart (with Taylor Swift catching up, she cannot rest on her laurels if she wants to keep the crown). While Pharell is warning the masses about drinking the Kool-Aid, Rihanna maintains a tight focus on reminding every one of her fame, fortune, and stature as a highly influential artist. There's a fresh reference to pricey cars ('You can catch me, Rih, in the new La Ferrar'), as well as some strategic name-dropping (LeBron James, The Fonz, the Buggati Veyron, her Star Trek Beyond promotional single "Sledgehammer"). Her cool swagger is encapsulated in her opening verses: 'I get it how I live it/ I live it how I get it'. The track's titular allusion to Lemonade(2016), also seems to suggest that Rihanna wants to prove that Queen B is not the only stadium-filling pop star who can double as a memorable MC. Music listeners everywhere will surely say 'welcome': the more the merrier.
