N.E.R.D.
Photo: Jun Sato/ WireImage

Pharrell's falsetto can only go so far. So he, along with the rest of the N.E.R.D. troops, recruited a new singer into the fold for their fourth album, Instant Gratification, slated to be released sometime in 2010.

The addition of Rhea, introduced to the band by a mutual friend, has the producer promising some lofty things for the foursome's next project.

"Musically, we're just somewhere else [with her]," Pharrell told MTV News. "The music is now very 3-D. It's something you have to hear. But you'll see. We're definitely somewhere else. I want to leave that impact moment for when you purchase your download and you purchase your CD. The music is very three-dimensional. We're just really excited. We feel like N.E.R.D. has always been the punks of hip-hop and the outcasts of alternative music — just a little different. But this time, we're taking no prisoners."

The Neptunes artist explained Rhea might be petite, at just 5-foot-4, but her booming voice and her classical background blend in with the genre-bending trio of N.E.R.D., also including Chad Williams and Shae.

"Now you have this little Tinkerbell that's just stepped in and has been amazing," he said. "It's made it a fun process. We can go in so many more directions, because we have the vocal support."

Rhea, a Toronto native of Guyanese descent, met the fellas only once in person before she auditioned for them via Skype. She sang "His Eye Is on the Sparrow." Her rendition impressed the guys, and she soon found herself signing on.

"It was just a really good time," she said of meeting the collective. "When I came in there and I met them and they heard me sing, I think they decided it was the right fit."

"Don't be bashful," Pharrell chimed in. "We lost our minds. We thought she was great."

N.E.R.D. are set to hit the road next week with Jay-Z on his Blueprint 3 tour.

• N.E.R.D.
• Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams
Photo: MTV News

Although Jay-Z likes kicking back and celebrating the good things in life, on The Blueprint 3, Hov isn't always happy.

The Neptunes' Pharrell Williams said he and the legendary rapper wanted to speak to kids on their collaboration "So Ambitious." The standout number targets adults who attempt to limit the dreams of young'uns. As a result, their deliveries are tinged with an edge, because the duo drew from experience.

"We wanted to make a record that speaks to kids. There's a couple of lewd words there, but I wanted to make sure that kids heard this record and felt inspired," Williams told MTV News. "That's why there's a little bit of anger to it. There's anger in his verses, there's anger in my chorus. That's why I say spiteful things at the top [of the record]. There's anger there, because there's heat. Because you're young and people are telling you what you can and can't do. Unacceptable."

The two have made their fair share of hits in the past, from "Frontin' " to "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)," but the super-producer said this was the first time they've done a track where they didn't work on it in the studio; "So Ambitious" was completed while they were in different locations.

"We did it all by phone," Williams said. "One-hundred percent. Phone and e-mail. I've never done that before in my life. I just sent him the joint, 'cause he beat me up for the whole album. He was just kinda like, 'I need something to really tell a story.' And I was like, 'OK.' And I sent him this track. I said, 'I'm sending you clouds with 808s [drums] under it.' There's just clouds, and it's expansive. You can just speak. It's a blank canvas. Then I sent him the hook and played it for him, and he lost his mind."

Williams said the song was made the day Jay-Z was mastering his album, and he believes the rapper held off on completing his album until he finished the song. The result, according to Williams, is another classic.

"[Just] the attack on it," he said of the song. "Ferocious."

• Pharrell Williams
• Jay-Z

Pharrell Williams at his Billionaire Boys Club/ Ice Cream store in New York City on Thursday
Photo: Nicole Sweet/ Getty Images

NEW YORK — It isn't unusual to see lines of young people stretching down the block in downtown New York for various reasons. Those in line at the Billionaire Boys Club/ Ice Cream store Thursday evening were waiting to grab an exclusive hat and T-shirt and, oh yeah, to meet super-producer, N.E.R.D. frontman and fashion icon Pharrell Williams.

As part of Fashion's Night Out, a citywide initiative to boost the retail industry, Pharrell worked behind the register at the Soho location of his BBC/ Ice Cream brand. Fans started to line up before the store opened at noon, even though Pharrell wasn't scheduled to arrive until 6 p.m. He said he was fortunate to receive such a turnout.

"I feel blessed. I know that none of this had to be," said Pharrell, who had performed with N.E.R.D. the night before. "I could be in many different places, and fortunately I'm here."

Pharrell founded the brand in 2005 along with A Bathing Ape creator Nigo. The brand is known for its T-shirts, denim, sweatshirts and sneakers in a variety of vivid colors featuring imaginative logos and patterns.

Pharrell said the kids who support the brand embrace it, but they make it their own. "We look at these kids as soldiers, not necessarily to represent me, but just representing freedom of being who you want to be, not feeling tethered down to a particular style or archetype or genre," he explained. "And that's what I try to do."

He added that every once in a while he wants to give back.

"I was blessed and fortunate enough to have this experience, and I don't want to take it for granted," he said. "Every once in a while I want to shake the hands of, like — forget the music. I love the music, but I'm saying I want them to know I really appreciate you rocking our designs."

• N.E.R.D.
• Pharrell Williams

Shakira
Photo: MTV News

The economy is hurting, and Shakira is here to help.

The hip-shaking, belly-undulating mistress of sultry Latin music spent more than a year toiling on She Wolf — her follow-up to 2005's Oral Fixation Vol. 2 — and she's hoping the club-ready album will provide fans a bit of an escape in these uncertain times.

"It's a very electronic album," the singer told MTV News. "Dance-oriented. Club-oriented. I want people to have fun with it. Forget about the troubles. Forget about the crisis. Forget everything for a minute — at least while they listen to the music."

Shakira recorded the album, as well as a forthcoming Spanish-language disc, in the Bahamas, working with producers like Pharrell and Wyclef Jean and incorporating elements of Colombian, Indian, Middle Eastern and African musical styles. While she knew she wanted to capture a more electronic sound from the beginning, she had no idea what the actual shape and feel of the album — out in October — would eventually be.

"You never know the final destination of a creative project," she said. "At first, you are standing in front of a white canvas, and that's the scariest thing on earth. You don't know if you're gonna do justice to the gifts that you have been given. Or if you are gonna be able to present the public something decent. You just have a huge question mark in front of you, and it's just frightening. But from the beginning of the project, I knew that I wanted an album that had a lot more to do with electronica. That would have a more bigger bottom end."

Um, a bigger bottom end?

"I wanted a bassier album with harder sounds," she explained with a laugh. "I wanted the beats to be very solid. I wanted to build a solid foundation starting from the beats."

That's where her producers stepped in. Comparing the collaborative studio process to parents raising a child, the 32-year-old Shakira said of Pharrell, "He comes up with ideas, and he executes them immediately. It's really cool, because I'm a little bit slower, and he's the man with the big strokes, and he really comes with great ideas. It was a great synergy."

And reconnecting with Wyclef meant a chance to try to recapture the salsa- and reggaetón-infused magic that spawned the Billboard-topping 2006 hit "Hips Don't Lie."

"We both grew up in the developing world," Shakira said. "We both have been very close to another kind of reality — you know, extreme poverty. People who don't have the ability to get access to education or even fulfilling their basic needs. And we both share the same visions and the same views about the world and what we can all do to — in our own small way — change that. So that is a recurrent topic of conversation between him and I."

• MTV News RAW: Shakira

• Shakira
• Wyclef Jean
• Pharrell Williams

Teyana Taylor
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — For someone who touts Google so much, you'd figure Teyana Taylor would be hip enough to know that footage of her dancing in a leotard was bound to make it onto the Internet.

Think again.

The burgeoning artist recently mimicked Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" dance routine, and the video popped up all over the blogosphere.

"Oh my God, everybody has seen that!" Taylor told MTV News. "I didn't know it was gonna be like that. Everybody's been like, 'I seen you in the leotard.' It's crazy, because I just learned it that morning, 'cause it was just for fun. It was at the National Black Theater on 125th [Street in Harlem, New York]. My homegirl had a fashion show, and I hosted it for her. I told her I would do it for fun. Being that I was the host, I feel like I had to go all the way."

Taylor fashioned her hosting duties after former BET Awards host Mo'Nique. The plus-size comedienne entered the 2007 show with a full throng of dancers performing Beyoncé's "Déjà Vu." In 2004, Mo playfully mimicked the singer's "Crazy in Love" routine.

It's a good thing Taylor's been working on her moves. The Pharrell protégé is set to release her newest single, "I Feel Alive." The track will be the second selection from her forthcoming debut, From a Planet Called Harlem. Taylor said the uptempo track will "definitely show off more of my dancing qualities." The album is tentatively due in late April on Star Trak/ Interscope Records.

For From a Planet Called Harlem, Taylor has worked with Pharrell ("Kisser") and Eve on a track called "Young Girl."

Another collaborator she's working with is Lil Wayne. Despite all of Wayne's bravado, Taylor said she's not wary of working with him. In fact, she said her friendship with the Cash Money lyricist makes it easy, while it was Eve's contribution that made her nervous.

"That's my boy," she said of Wayne. "I'm cool with everybody I work with. I'm a social butterfly. I make friends with everybody. So nothing really intimidates me. But when you're cool with someone, it's more like, 'Oh, that's my boy.' If I didn't know him, yeah, I'd be [intimidated].

"When Eve got on my 'Young Girl' song, I didn't know her," Taylor continued. "And when I heard it, I was smiling mad hard. I couldn't stop smiling. Just, oh my God, I can't believe I got her on my song."

• Teyana Taylor
• Lil Wayne
• Pharrell Williams

Usher
Photo: MTV News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — When we caught up with him among the inaugural hoopla, Usher made us a promise: new music very soon. Maybe the record could be a Pharrell Williams/ Neptunes production, because a photo of Usher, Skateboard P and Maroon 5's Adam Levine collaborating in the studio recently hit the Net.

"It's a little bit of everything," Usher said of what they've been working on. "Pharrell has his Web site where he lets you come inside his world and lets you know what's happening. A few pictures did leak online, just to let you know what he's been working on. There's some synergy between all of us and the record we're working on is gonna be an incredible record. I'm a fan. Adam is incredible — far beyond what I even fathomed.

"[The studio session] was a loose thing," Ush added. "[Adam] came in, picked up a guitar and went to work."

Usher and Pharrell obviously have a rich history of working together. "U Don't Have to Call" was a blockbuster, but the Atlanta crooner says he isn't looking to "yesterday" for inspiration — his sights are on right now.

"We want to create music like you never heard before," Usher explained. "Once we create something in the studio that everybody is crazy about, then we try to beat that. Once we create another one, we try to beat that. It's like we're challenging ourselves in the moment, as opposed to chasing what's in the past. Although 'U Don't Have to Call' is always a great reason for us to come back again — it was more or less a celebration."

• Usher
• Pharrell Williams
• Maroon 5

Kevin Rudolf in his video for "Let It Rock"
Photo: Cash Money/ Universal Republic

2008 was a huge year for rock ... and 2009 looks like it could be even bigger. So all this week, we're taking stock of the things guaranteed to rock this year. From the triumphant returns of some of the biggest bands on the planet to a handful of up-and-coming acts that we're expecting big things from in '09, we've got it all covered. This is Rock Week, on MTVNews.com.

Once upon a time, even the hugest bands on the planet were bands no one had ever heard of. They had yet to rock arenas or unite the globe or even ride on a tour bus with a working toilet, for that matter. They were just a bunch of kids with a single press photo (usually taken against a brick wall) and a whole lot of possibility. It didn't matter that the odds were stacked impossibly high against them. It was almost better that way.

These days, things are different. Thanks to the vast frontier of the Internet, practically every band has been heard by somebody, which makes the concept of them "rocketing to success" seem rather antiquated. And, perhaps dulled by nearly three decades of "Next Big Thing" articles, we tend to roll our eyes further back into our heads with each "can't miss" contender foisted on us by the music industry.

That said, please allow us to do the very same thing. Because, really, the Next Big Things have to come from somewhere, right? So while we're going to refrain from the hyperbole ("This band will change your life!") we are going to go out on a limb and say that you'll be hearing a whole lot from these guys in 2009. From Lil Wayne-approved rock stars to much-buzzed blog acts to, um, barely pubescent head-bangers, these are our top picks for 2009's Rock Rookies.

Kevin Rudolf

Who: The 25-year-old songwriter/producer grew up a guitar virtuoso then switched to making beats after being taken under Timbaland's wing. Since then, he's produced tracks for Rick Ross and Ludacris and played guitar for Justin Timberlake, LL Cool J and the Black Eyed Peas, to name just a few. His debut album, In the City, was released late last year on Lil Wayne's Cash Money Records and spawned the hit "Let It Rock," which, if you've been near a radio in the past six months, you've probably heard.

Something to Say: "Let It Rock" crossed over to the pop, rock and R&B charts and reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, but unlike most chart fare, it's actually about something: "It's a song about the hypocrisy in the world, and I'm saying that when I come through, I'm bringing the truth," Rudolf explained. "I use the parable of the Prodigal Son, because I want to expose all the fakes out there — in the music industry, in the world, anywhere. A lot of people think it's a party record, but it's not."

Good Non-Answer, Dude: As a kid growing up in Manhattan, Rudolf worshipped at the altar of Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page, so he knows a thing or two about guitar shredding. But what does he think about his labelmate Wayne's playing? "He's on his own path. ... I've done a couple of songs for his new record, and they do lean a lot more rock, and he's coming at it hard," Rudolf said. "As a guitar player, he's sounding good. I'm a different kind of guitar player, you know, but he's on his own path."

Chester French

Who: Two Ivy League-educated smart-asses with a penchant for spacey, horned-up electro pop, Maxwell Drummey and D.A. Wallach met at Harvard University, named their band after a sculptor and caught the ear of Kanye West, who offered the duo a deal. They passed on that offer in favor of an even more lucrative deal from the Neptunes' Star Trak Entertainment. Judging from their debut EP, She Loves Everybody, their full-length, Love the Future (due later this year), is sure to burst with swanky hooks and smarmy jokes. Oh, and Drummey is rather inexplicably married to British socialite Peaches Geldof.

The Secret Source of 50 Cent's Abs?: Though they've already drawn comparisons to another head-in-the-clouds electro duo — MGMT — Chester French fail to see any similarities. For one, they're way more into fighting ... and physiques. "We're a band that really encourages consensual violence — never against women — but we like representing for a whole bunch of people," Wallach said. "We've all been abused by a woman in one way or another, but we come in and we take it, because we're these strong, assertive men who care about our physiques. This music stuff is really a side project for us. It's a way to earn money so that we can keep our gym memberships going. ... We're trainers too. We trained 50. Everyone knows that."

A Big, Messy Year Indeed: When they spurned Kanye for a deal with Pharrell Williams and Star Trak, CF garnered plenty of "who the f--- are these dudes?!?" headlines. Looking to silence the critics, they've been holed up in the studio, hard at work on their full-length debut. And with an album on the horizon, what else are the dynamic duo looking forward to in '09? "2009 is going to see the birth of my second child, which I'm really excited for," Drummey joked. "We're going to put an album out too."

Check back Tuesday for the first of our looks at some of 2009's most-buzzed new acts, as Rock Week continues on MTVNews.com.

• These Bands Will Rock Your 2009

• Kevin Rudolf
• Chester French
• Lil Wayne
• Pharrell Williams

Photo: MTV News

Artist: Tony Yayo

Representing: The G-Unit

Mixtape: S.O.D.

411: As promised, it's a G-Unit blowout this week. We have news on Lloyd Banks' next street CD, 50 Cent opining on his fourth-quarter showdown with Kanye West and, of course, the in-depth word on Tony Yayo's S.O.D. mixtape.

Yayo will be the next member from G-Unit to put out an album next year (after 50's Before I Self Destruct on December 9). It all starts with the pavement grind. The Talk of New York certainly isn't leaving his beloved Unit behind, but he is starting to carve out his solo path, leading up to the album.

S.O.D. — Swammies on Deck, which is Queens street slang for firearms — is an ode to Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in "The Dark Knight" and Tony's down-for-whatever demeanor. DJ Whoo Kid helped put it together.

"The mixtape, you hear a lot of the hard-core sh-- on there, you can tell where it comes from. Yayo scares other rappers," Whoo Kid said. "Whenever he's around ... blood is coming out of their bodies."

"It's not like that," Yayo laughed. "I'm in the streets, though.

"My album is coming right after 50's last album on Interscope, the end of his contractual obligation," he continued. "I'mma wait till the smoke clears, then my album comes. I wanna make sure it's marketed and promoted right. A lot of artists don't realize that it's the machine that helps you out. Back to S.O.D. We went virally with that. That's the thing with ThisIs50.com. MTV.com. Everybody has a dot-com. On the ['Do It Right'] video I did with French [Montana] and Max B, I got a million plays. It played everywhere. That's the new hustle."

Yayo's next unofficial LP comes out around the end of November. "The next mixtape, Black Friday, I got Uncle Murda on there. R.I.P., Stack Bundles. I had to get the Riot Squad. I got Stack Bundles' verse. Shout-out to his pops, shout-out to the Riot Squad. I got 40 Glocc, I got Spider Loc on there."

"Tell the people we're doing it for them," Whoo Kid added. "Keeping the good music out, and sh-- they could rock in their car. All that popcorn sh--, you can't rock in your car."

S.O.D.'s guest stars include Corey Gunz, Ransom, French Montana and Max B.

"I was talking to Scarface the other day," Yayo said. "I was gonna throw him on there, but I'm probably gonna save that for the album. We was playing golf the other day. The whole thing with G-Unit. It wasn't like we never wanted to do features. We was touring. Always out and about, constant movement. It was never time to reach out to dudes."

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» Ludacris (featuring Lil Wayne) - "Last of a Dying Breed"
» Sam Scarfo (featuring Ghostface Killah) - "Jesus Loves You"
» Soulja Boy Tell'em - "Turn My Swag On"

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

OK, this is getting ridiculous. Stop it. Just stop it. There isn't a Kanye West vs. 50 Cent feud. They aren't in the same lane of music, and they aren't dropping on the same release date again. Still, people want to say that the fourth quarter is part two of the Kanye vs. 50 showdown just because each artist has an album coming out in that time period.

"If you'd like it to be," 50 told us last week with a grin. "There's no comparisons in us as artists. It's the yin and the yang. It's almost the opposite. It was almost taboo in hip-hop for you to make a love record. That was reserved for LL Cool J: 'I Need Love' and 'Luv U Better.' He was the only hip-hop artist that's actually done that, prior to what I see [now] with Kanye. For him to make an entire love album, it's pretty much based on ... love and Auto-Tunes: 808s & Heartbreak. I can't wait to see what this does.

"I'm sorry, this is incredible," 50 continued with a chuckle. "I can't wait to see how the public responds to this. My fans are real critical to me. I've raised the bar in a lot of ways. They don't allow anything less than what could be considered hands down the best material from me. If I release 'Straight to the Bank' or 'Amusement Park,' they'll give me resistance until I deliver 'I Get Money.' "

50's Before I Self Destruct checks in December 9, while Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak drops November 25. Elsewhere, Lloyd Banks drops his next mixtape, Halloween Havoc, on October 31.

"I'm gonna keep flooding it," Banks said. The last [mixtape], I leaked a lot of the freestyles [on the Net] prior to the tape dropping. But this one, you'll hear the music when the mixtape drops. It'll be more of an event." ...

It doesn't look like Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 is coming out this year. There still hasn't been a video for "Jockin' Jay-Z (Dope Boy Fresh)." Matter of fact, there hasn't been a word about the album in weeks, except that Hov is working on it.

The only confirmed information is that Jay and Kanye West have done a bunch of tracks together, and the early talk was that Kanye would be the only producer on the album. That is looking more unlikely now. We've been hearing a bunch of rumors about other producers Jay is collaborating with (who shall remain nameless — we don't do rumors, just facts). But one of those guys spoke to us recently: None other than Pharrell Williams, one of Jigga's main go-to guys.

"Of course," he said when asked whether Jay had called him to work on Blueprint 3. He then took a long pause before refusing to divulge any more info. "He don't like for you to say so much."

Williams is working with a lot of artists he can talk about right now. We were in the studio with him recently in Atlanta and had a sneak preview of some beats he did for Diddy and the Clipse. One Puff track that really stuck out has the potential to be huge if Diddy does it right.

"Puff's album is crazy," Williams promised. "Y'all should know that. It's pretty serious. It's innovative.

"[Lil] Wayne and I had an interesting conversation," he added about his slate of production work. "We just did Fall Out Boy. We did Cassie, Jadakiss, going in with Fab. ... I can't think. It's a bunch of stuff." ...

While the Neptunes' handiwork might appear on Jay's Blueprint 3, a Lil Wayne collaboration might not be as likely. Wayne said he didn't get the call from Jay to jump on the record. Actually, Weezy had no idea The Blueprint 3 was ramping up!

"I didn't even know it was a Blueprint 3," he told us. "That's because I be working so hard. If you wanna call me or tell me anything, you gotta come to that studio."

Everybody is still talking about that Weezy freestyle at the BET Hip-Hop Awards that got political. You can check it out here. ...

It's great to see hip-hop community members showing love to one another, especially when you don't usually see them together. We grabbed Juelz Santana and Talib Kweli together for a quick interview, and are we clairvoyant or what? The fellas have actually started formulating a plan to collaborate with their respective cliques.

"We got a secret project I can't tell y'all about yet," Talib said. "Y'all gonna hear about it. Look out for that Blacksmith [Records]/ Juelz Santana and Skull Gang collaboration. That new Skull Gang mixtape is like an album. I see it.

"This is the man right here," Kweli continued about his Harlem peer.

"This is the man right here," Santana said, pointing to his Brooklyn friend.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

• Mixtape Monday Video: 50 Cent, Pharrell & More

• 50 Cent
• Jay-Z
• Pharrell Williams

Nelly
Photo: MTV News

ATLANTA — Remember last year when Nelly spoke to MTV News about forming a supergroup? The speculation was that he and T.I. would make up the core of the collective, especially after Nelly spoke about his close friendship with Tip.

Since then, however, the St. Louis Grammy winner has been in talks to form a quartet of gentlemen who make platinum records as often as regular people go to lunch.

"Me, Akon, T-Pain and Pharrell are talking about doing a project," he told us Friday. "We got a host of things we're trying to do — possibly put together this new 2009 [Bell Biv DeVoe] type of thing."

With vested interest from everyone's respective record labels, how in the world can this get done from the business side? And what about everyone's insane schedules? Nelly isn't worried about any of that.

"I don't think you try to put things together with people you don't think you can accomplish [them] with," he said. "With 'Kon, with Pain and Pharrell, I know it's more about the music than anything. It's about leaving something. I think we're all OK as far as the money thing goes. I don't think anybody is hurting. You wanna do things you can be remembered by. Make a mark. I think that's something that's foremost on all our minds."

Well, speak for yourself, Nell. Skateboard P is remaining mum on the topic of the super-squad.

"Those are all my boys," Pharrell said with a surprised look (after a long pause) Saturday afternoon. "I'm kinda like the only one that adheres to the oath of secrecy. I don't wanna break that."

When asked about his ideal sound for the unit, Williams continued to evade the question. "Well, seeing as though I'm supposed to be upholding my end of the bargain of upholding my oath of secrecy, I'm not so sure of how to answer that question."

Obviously, no release date for the project has been set — the guys are just in the planning stages. Meanwhile, Nelly is about to shoot a video for the next single from Brass Knuckles, "One and Only." He's also prepping a new St. Lunatics LP, Murphy Lee's next set and a solo follow-up to Brass Knucks. Pharrell is working on tracks for Cassie, Diddy and Jay-Z's Blueprint 3, among other projects.

• Nelly
• Pharrell Williams
• T-Pain
• Akon

Lil Wayne and Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz
Photo: Chris Polk/FilmMagic

It's perhaps testament to Fall Out Boy's clout that even when they're publically denouncing rumors about big-name musicians making cameos on their albums, there's a pretty good chance that those big-name musicians actually will end up making an appearance of some sort ... and they'll probably bring along some of their friends too.

Case in point: Last month, an underage — yet apparently very knowledgeable — blogger named Justin Goldberg posted on his site that Kanye West and Lil Wayne were lined up to make appearances on FOB's Folie à Deux album, citing "a reliable source."

"Knowing the right people has finally paid off," Goldberg wrote in the post.

A few days later, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz addressed that post on his blog, writing that "none of the guests but the ones we have named are currently on the record, to clear [things] up."

And yet, at the same time, he was apparently working overtime to make (some) of said cameos happen, because on Thursday, Wentz confirmed to MTV News that Wayne will appear on Folie, along with a few other guests that might raise an eyebrow or two.

"We got Wayne and Debbie Harry cameos done," he wrote in an e-mail. " Pharrell produced a track too."

The Wayne cameo we can understand — after all, FOB's last album, Infinity on High, kicked off with a spoken intro from none other than Jay-Z — and Williams did spend plenty of time hanging out on the set of the band's "I Don't Care" video last month, so we get that one too. But where does Debbie Harry — frontwoman of groundbreaking NYC punk/ new-wave act Blondie — fit in on Folie?

Well, Wentz isn't exactly sure either, but he knows that her cameo works with the entire vibe of the album. "I just think the record is going to be diverse," he wrote. "It goes all the way between [Blondie and Wayne]."

He remained tight-lipped about just what FOB fans can expect to hear from Wayne and/or Harry, but he did hint that there were more surprise guests still to be revealed — and some of them may be even more head-scratching than Harry. He also was mum about just what song Williams produced on the album — though perhaps you can venture a guess using the just-released track list.

• MTV News RAW: Fall Out Boy

• Fall Out Boy
• Lil Wayne
• Pharrell Williams
• Blondie

Asher Roth, N.E.R.D. Warm Up NYC For The 2009 VMAs

• Asher Roth
• N.E.R.D.
• Pharrell Williams
• The Neptunes

Lindsay Lohan, T.I., M.I.A., More Come Out For Diesel's Rock 'N Roll Circus In NYC

• T.I.
• Lindsay Lohan
• Franz Ferdinand
• Paris Hilton
• Kate Nash

Bling Auction: Hip Hop's Crown Jewels

• Tupac
• Biz Markie
• Slick Rick
• Kanye West
• Pharrell Williams

Kanye West, Pete Wentz, More At The BAPE Store Opening In L.A.

• Kanye West
• Pharrell Williams
• Fall Out Boy
• Robin Thicke
• Jermaine Dupri

Vampire Weekend, Paramore, N.E.R.D., & More Rock SXSW 2008

• Kaki King
• Mike Farris
• R.E.M.
• The Von Bondies
• The Raveonettes

T-Pain, Lil Mama, Snoop, More At BET's 'Rip The Runway'

• T-Pain
• Lil Mama
• Pharrell Williams
• Juelz Santana
• Snoop Dogg

Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Rihanna, Pharrell, More At Gucci's UNICEF Benefit

• Rihanna
• Alicia Keys
• Pharrell Williams
• Diddy
• Gwen Stefani

Snoop, Pharrell, Diddy, Ciara And More At The 2007 VH1 Hip Hop Honors

• Snoop Dogg
• Pharrell Williams
• LL Cool J
• T-Pain
• Ne-Yo

Paris Hilton, Diddy, Timbaland, Janet Jackson, More Hit The Vegas Party Scene

• Britney Spears
• Justin Timberlake
• Timbaland
• Nick Cannon
• Lil Jon

Fashion Check: Hoodies

• Jay-Z
• Pharrell Williams
• Lil Wayne
• Clipse
• Fat Joe