Pharrell Williams

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Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams performing at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square, 2006.
Pharrell Williams performing at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square, 2006.
Background information
Birth name Pharrell Williams
Also known as Skateboard P
Born April 5, 1973 (age 34)
Origin Flag of United States Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Genre(s) Hip hop, Urban contemporary
Occupation(s) Record producer, singer, rapper, fashion designer
Instrument(s) Drums, keyboard, piano
Years active 1992–present
Label(s) Star Trak / Interscope
Associated
acts		 The Neptunes, N*E*R*D
Website PharrellWilliams.com

Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973) is an American producer, singer, rapper, and songwriter. He is one half of the production duo The Neptunes (with Chad Hugo) with whom he produces primarily hip-hop music. He is also the lead singer and drummer of the funk-rock band, N*E*R*D. He released his debut single "Frontin'" in 2003 and followed up with his debut album In My Mind in 2006.

As part of The Neptunes, Pharrell has produced numerous hit singles for various music stars. He plays the drums, keyboard, and sings in a falsetto voice. Pharrell's works have earned him three Grammy Awards amongst ten nominations. He is also the co-founder of the clothing brand Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Footwear.

Contents

[edit] Biography,

[edit] Early life

Pharrell was born in Virginia Beach, VA. He has two younger brothers; Cato and Solomon and two half-brothers; Pharoah Williams III and David Williams.[1] Cato is a professional skateboarder.[2] David is a business owner in Delaware.

Pharrell and Hugo met at a junior high school band camp where Williams was a drummer and Hugo played tenor saxophone.[3] They were also both members of a marching band, where Pharrell played the snare drum, and with Chad as a student conductor. In the 1990s, Hugo and Pharrell formed a 4-piece "R&B type" group along with friends Shay and Mike Etheridge, which they named The Neptunes. They later entered a high school talent show where they were discovered by Teddy Riley, whose studio was close to Pharrell's school Princess Anne High School.[4] After graduating from high school, they signed with Riley as a group.[5]

[edit] Career

Through working with Teddy Riley, Pharrell went on to write Riley's verse for Wreckx-N-Effect's 1992 hit "Rump Shaker" (#2 Billboard Hot 100, 2x Platinum). In 1994, Hugo and Williams had established themselves formally as a production duo under the previously used name "The Neptunes", and produced "Tonight's The Night" from BLACKstreet's self-titled debut (Riley being a member of BLACKstreet). Over the next three years they continued to produce occasionally. Some of the production had little resemblance to the trademark Neptunes sound present today, including some of the productions for SWV (1996). However, some like Mase's 1998 No.8 (Billboard Hot 100) hit "Lookin' At Me" (from the Harlem World album, 1997) showed clear signs that the Neptunes' sound was increasing in sophistication.

Their first major production hit, and the most definite beginning of the distinctive Neptunes Sound, came with N.O.R.E.'s Superthug in 1998, reaching #36 on the Billboard Hot 100, and gaining them widespread attention for the first time. The duo then went on to work heavily with Kelis, producing her first album Kaleidoscope and Ol' Dirty Bastard's record Got your money, on which Kelis was featured, followed by Mystikal's Shake Ya Ass and (a then newly-renamed) Diddy's single Diddy.

In 2001 Pharrell, Hugo and Haley released their first album as N*E*R*D; In Search Of..., in Europe (where the first Kelis album was better received)[citation needed], with a style similar to their Neptunes production. However, the group decided that they should make their work as N*E*R*D sound different, and re-recorded the album, with the funk-rock band Spymob, for worldwide release in 2002.

In 2001 The Neptunes gained their first world-wide #1 with Britney Spears' single, "I'm a Slave 4 U". The following year they reached #1 in the U.S. with Nelly’s single, "Hot in Herre". In August of the same year, The Neptunes were named "Producers of the Year" at both The Source Awards and the Billboard Music Awards.[citation needed]

Also in early 2001, The Neptunes worked with The Clipse, a rap duo from Virginia Beach that Pharrell had met back in 1993. Williams signed the duo to Arista Records through his recently established Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Clipse released their commercial debut album, Lord Willin' on August 20, 2002. The album opened at #1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-hop Album chart and #4 on the Billboard Hot 200, fueled by the strength of its first two singles, "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time," which peaked at #34 and #19 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2003, The Neptunes released a self-credited album called The Neptunes Present... Clones, featuring songs and remixes from various artists. This album topped the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The Neptunes and Pharrell specifically were also kept in public eye largely due to ties with Jay-Z, producing several hit singles for him and landing two tracks on his album The Black Album.

"Frontin'" was a big summer hit (the 34th biggest single of 2003 according to Billboard Magazine), and kept Williams' momentum running up to the release of N*E*R*D's second funk/rock-oriented album, Fly Or Die, released in March 2004. Williams' rock credentials were further bolstered by his appearance at the 2004 Grammy Awards, performing The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" on drums along with Sting, Dave Matthews, and Vince Gill. Pharrell went home with two Grammy Awards that night, one for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, and another for Best Pop Vocal Album for his work on Justin Timberlake's No.2 Billboard hit Justified.

They also gained their first UK #1, again with Nelly, and Flap Your Wings.

Pharrell's debut album, In My Mind.
Pharrell's debut album, In My Mind.

On September 9, 2005, Pharrell performed the opening single from his debut solo album "In My Mind". The song, titled "Can I Have It Like That", featuring Gwen Stefani did not do well in the US, reaching only #48; however, it fared better in the UK, reaching #3. Between then and the release of "In My Mind" (on July 25, 2006), he released "Angel" (Europe only), and later Number 1 with fellow producer/rapper Kanye West. Several songs were also leaked to the internet before the album was released, most notably "Mamacita" featuring Daddy Yankee, which was subsequently cut from the final version. "That Girl" featuring Snoop Dogg is confirmed to be the fourth single. In 2006, he gained another hit single with Ludacris with "Moneymaker". It is believed that Pharell will help produce two songs for Madonna's next album to be release at the end of 2007. During a telephone interview on Friday 9th February to Sirius Radio, Madonna mentioned that Pharrell was downstairs in her London home at the time.

Pharrell has been confirmed as one of the artists to perform in the Live Earth concerts on July 7th 2007. The event is expected to reach a global audience of over 2 billion people.[6]

[edit] Trivia

  • He is an owner of an Enzo Ferrari.[7][8][9]
  • He has a half-pipe inside his home[10], and is one of few rappers who skateboards.
  • He is often seen wearing a trucker hat.[11]
  • He is a big fan of Star Trek,[12] as indicated by his consistent use of the Vulcan salute and choice of label name.
  • A survey in August 2003 found the Neptunes produced almost 20% of songs played on British radio at the time, a survey in the US had them at 43%.[13]
  • He confirmed his idol is the astronomer Carl Sagan, saying that "he was definitely the king and I completely look up to him."[14]
  • The Neptunes are 5th in the top 10 rich list in Hip-hop, allegedly worth $155m.[15]
  • He named the late Detroit beat maker Jay Dee as his favourite producer while on BET's 106 & Park in 2004.[16]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Solo albums


[edit] Singles

Year Song U.S. U.S. R&B/ Hip-hop U.S. Rap UK Album
2000 "I Just Wanna Luv U (Give It 2 Me)" (Jay-Z featuring Pharrell) 11 1 4 11 The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
2001 "Diddy" (P. Diddy featuring Pharrell) 66 21 23 19 The Saga Continues...
2001 "Formal Invite" (Ray J featuring Pharrell) - 45 - - This Ain't a Game
2002 "Boys' (The Co-Ed Remix) (Britney Spears featuring Pharrell) 109 23 - 7 Britney
2002 "From tha Chuuch to da Palace" (Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell) 77 31 16 27 Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$
2002 "When the Last Time" (Clipse featuring Kelis AND Pharrell) 19 7 - 41 Lord Willin'
2002 "Pass the Courvoiseur, Pt. 2" (Busta Rhymes featuring P. Diddy and Pharell) 11 4 - 16 Genesis
2003 "Beautiful" (Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell and Charlie Wilson) 6 3 3 2 Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$
2003 "Excuse Me Miss" (Jay-Z featuring Pharrell) 8 1 2 17 The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse
2003 "Show Me Your Soul" (Lenny Kravitz featuring P. Diddy, Loon and Pharrell) - - - - Bad Boys II OST
2003 "Change Clothes" (Jay-Z featuring Pharrell) 10 6 4 32 The Black Album
2003 "Frontin'" (featuring Jay-Z) 5 1 1 6 The Neptunes Present... Clones
2003 "Light Yo Ass on Fire" (Busta Rhymes featuring Pharrell) 58 23 12 62 The Neptunes Present... Clones
2004 "Drop It Like It's Hot" (Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell) 1 1 1 10 R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece
2004 "Tit 4 Tat" (Fabolous featuring Pharrell) - - - - Real Talk
2005 "Let's Get Blown" (Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell and Keyshia Cole) 54 19 12 13 R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece
2005 "Can I Have It Like That" (featuring Gwen Stefani) 48 32 20 3 In My Mind
2006 "Wanna Love U Girl" (Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell) - - - - The Evolution of Robin Thicke
2006 "Angel" - - - 15 In My Mind
2006 "Mr. Me Too" (Clipse featuring Pharrell) - 65 - - Hell Hath No Fury
2006 "Number One" (featuring Kanye West) 57 40 - 31 In My Mind
2006 "Margarita" (Sleepy Brown featuring Big Boi and Pharell) - - - - Mr. Brown
2006 "That Girl" (featuring Snoop Dogg) - - - - In My Mind
2006 "Money Maker" (Ludacris featuring Pharrell) 1 1 1 - Release Therapy
2007 "She Goes" (The Federation featuring Pharrell) - - - - It's Whateva

[edit] Neptunes and N*E*R*D tracks

For N*E*R*D tracklistings see N*E*R*D discography. For Neptunes discography see The Neptunes discography.

[edit] Singles Produced by The Neptunes

[edit] Awards and achievements

Further information: List of The Neptunes awards

Grammy Awards

Year Category Genre Title Result
2004 Producer of the Year (with Chad Hugo) N/A N/A Won
Best Pop Vocal Album Pop Justified Won
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Rap "Frontin'" (with Jay-Z) Nominated
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Rap "Beautiful" (with Snoop Dogg) Nominated
Best Rap Song Rap "Beautiful" (with Snoop Dogg) Nominated
Best Rap Song Rap "Excuse Me Miss" (with Jay-Z) Nominated
2005 Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Rap "Drop It Like It's Hot" (with Snoop Dogg) Nominated
Best Rap Song Rap "Drop It Like It's Hot" (with Snoop Dogg) Nominated
2007 Best Rap Song Rap "Money Maker" (with Ludacris) Won
Best Rap Album Rap In My Mind Nominated

Miscellaneous awards

  • 2005: Voted "Best Dressed Man in the World" by Esquire magazine.[17]

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Guardian, 2004-02-20. "The hit man." The Guardian.
  2. ^ Yoon Sul, 2006-07-10. "You Scream, I Scream." Transworld Skateboarding.
  3. ^ 2004-05-15. "Like the song? These guys wrote it." The Age.
  4. ^ Renan Balanga, 2002. "Chad Hugo: Rock Star." Yolk magazine.
  5. ^ "Neptunes production techniques; an interview with Chad Hugo." Sound & Recording magazine Dec 2003.
  6. ^ Al Gore, Kevin Wall, Pharrell, Mana, Cameron Diaz launch unprecedented campaign, concert to combat climate crisis
  7. ^ Ferrari Enzo
  8. ^ Ferrari Enzo
  9. ^ Pharrell: I Dream in Color Part 1
  10. ^ 13 Questions With Pharrell
  11. ^ Pharrell Williams: Trak Star
  12. ^ The nerd who inherited the earth
  13. ^ Like the song? These guys wrote it
  14. ^ Blender Q & A: Pharrell Williams
  15. ^ [1]
  16. ^ [2]
  17. ^ Pharrell Is The World's Best-Dressed Man (According To Esquire, Anyway)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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