 While touring in promotion of their previous album, Fly or Die, N.E.R.D ended their contract with Virgin Records in 2005. After touring, Pharrell Williams felt that the album was too consistent; he felt the band abandoned a sense of unpredictability. The band became "hooked" on the energy from their fans and began recording their third album. Williams and fellow band member Chad Hugo later established Star Trak Entertainment, a subsidiary of Interscope Records.
