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Pharrell Williams also known as Skateboard P (born
April 5, 1973 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States) is one half of the
primarily hip hop music production and songwriting duo, The Neptunes (with Chad
Hugo), who among other things is known for bringing R&B chanteuse Kelis to
national attention. Pharrell has produced numerous number one tracks for
megastars such as Janet Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Nelly, Justin
Timberlake, Mystikal, Jay-Z, *NSYNC, and others.
Pharrell was born the oldest of three sons to
Pharaoh Williams and Carolyn Williams. His father was a handyman, and his mother
was a teacher. In seventh grade, Williams met fellow band mate Hugo. The two
began working together, mixing beats and playing in various live bands in which
Williams played the drums. In 1992, while the two were attending different high
schools in Virginia Beach, they sold their first song, "Rump Shaker", to Wreckx-n-Effect.
They then began songwriting and production assignments with popular hip-hop
artists such as Noreaga, SWV, Total and Ma$e.
In August 2002, The Neptunes were named Producers
of the Year at both The Source Awards and the Billboard Music Awards.
In 2002, Williams wrote and produced rapper Nelly’s
single, "Hot in Herre," the single hit No.1 in the US and the UK. He repeated
the success by doing the same with Britney Spears' dance-pop single, "I'm A
Slave 4 U". But it wasn't until the summer of 2003 that Pharrell released his
first solo single, "Frontin'" featuring Jay-Z. The album The Neptunes
Present...Clones was then released, debuting at number one in August 2003.
"Frontin'" was a big summer hit (the No. 34 biggest
single of 2003 according to Billboard Magazine), and kept Williams' momentum
running up to the release of Hugo and Williams' second funk/rock-oriented
N.E.R.D album, 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.
In 2005, Williams was voted "Best Dressed Man in
the World" by Esquire magazine. His look has inspired such acts like Mario and
Eric West. On September 9th, 2005, Pharrell performed the opening single from
his debut album "In My Mind". The song, titled "Can I Have It Like That",
featuring Gwen Stefani, blends a smooth synth with a few drum rolls and heavy
bass. "In My Mind", Pharrell's solo album is due out January 24th and has 14
tracks, 7 hip-hop tracks and 7 R&B tracks with numerous musical guests such as
Gwen Stefani, Daddy Yankee, Vanessa Marquez and Jay-Z. The album cover for "In
My Mind" is slated to be designed by Japanese brand "A Bathing Ape".
****
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URL of Original Article:
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Date Article Copied:
December 19, 2005
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