Nelly Featuring Fergie "Party People"

Get ready to party like it's 1999. Literally. In a big, noisy construct, all blasting horns and purposeful rhythm, Nelly makes a desperate attempt at a comeback with "Party People", something that coulda been huge in the era when we were still fearing the potential fallout of Y2K. In a post-Timbaland world, however, peppier, more impressive beats are easy to come by, no matter where you turn the FM dial. Shit, even Jesse McCartney hooked up with Tricky and was able to procure a fantastic bounce that propels his current, surprisingly listenable single, "Leavin'". But, Nelly and producer Polow da Don? They choose to go "big" (and boring) with a deafening wall of sound (with sirens, how ominous and revolutionary!) and some fairly cliche dissing as well as a few been-there-done-that calls-to-action for the former's titular friends. "Where [they] at?" Fergie repeats at least as many times as she ever spelled her own favorite word for a grand, impressive life ("G! L! A!..." etc.), her superfluous appearance nothing more than another panic-induced scheme to make Nelly seem "hip" and "now," because, y'know, nothing says "hip" and "now" like F-E-R-G-I-E. If you're 12. Or hooked on phonics. "PP" has been hovering around the iTunes top 20 since its release not too long ago, but I've a feeling it may stall there and soon fade into oblivion. Why? Because if we want big, boastful rap tracks that are actually fun, we'll go through our old 90s CDs, reminiscing about a time when such things were still considered hot. Additionally, if we want a Nelly song that will actually get a party started, we'll scan through Nellyville, thankyouverymuch. As it stands for the "Grillz"-wearing former Band-Aid enthusiast in 2008, things are definitely getting cold in herre.
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