Pharrell Williams
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Pharrell Williams - The uber-cool, songwriter, producer, owner of Billionaire Boys Club clothing line, lead singer of the funk-rock group N.E.R.D. and on half of the superduo production team - The Neptunes. He managed to become a star in his own right.
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About
Pharrell Williams was born on April 6, 1973 to parents Pharaoh Williams, Jr. and Carolyn Hoggard. He has 6 siblings - two younger brothers, Cato and Psoloman, two sisters Hope Williams and Carrie Parks and two half-brothers, Pharaoh Williams III and David Williams. At the age of seven, Pharrell's family moved to Virgina Beach, Virginia, where he was exposed to a wide range of music, including classic R&B and rock. At junior high school band camp, he met Chad Hugo despite of going to different schools. They formed an R&B type group with friends, Shae Haley and Mike Etheridge, which they named The Neptunes. They caught the attention of producer, Teddy Riley after performing in a local talent contest. After graduating from high school, they signed a contract with Riley as a group.
Through that connection, Pharrell wrote Teddy Riley's rap verse for the huge 1992 hit single, Rump Shaker by Wreckx N Effect that reached the number two spot in the Billboard Hot 100. Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams formally established themselves as a production duo in 1994 under the same name - The Neptunes. In 1996, the duo were hired to work with SWV and Sean 'Puffy' Combs hired them as well to produce music for Total and Mase.
The biggest break for The Neptunes came with N.O.R.E.'s Superthug in 1998. It reached number 36 in the Billboard Hot 100, which gave them widespread attention for the first time. From there, they went on to work with a couple of artists including, Snoop Dogg, Kelis, Britney Spears, Nelly and Ol' Dirty Bastard.
Pharrell, Chad Hugo and Shae Haley released their debut album In Search Of... as N.E.R.D. in 2001in Europe. N.E.R.D. stands for No one Ever Really Dies. However, they re-recorded the album to make their work as N.E.R.D. sound different from The Neptunes production and released the album on 2002. Their first album had disappointing sales and only reached number 56 on the pop albums chart. In 2004, Fly or Die was released by N.E.R.D. as their sophomore album where it generated the top 10 pop single, She Wants To Move and the album reached the top 10 as well.Pharrell released his solo debut album In My Mind on July 25, 2006 and in that same year, he gained another hit with Ludacris', Moneymaker.
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Certification |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Gold |
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Grammy Awards | Producer of the Year | Won |
| 2004 | Grammy Awards | Best Pop Vocal (for his work on Justin Timberlake’s #2 hit- Justified) | Won |
| 2006 | MTV Europe Music Award | Best Male | Nominated |
| 2006 | MTV Europe Music Award | Best R&B | Nominated |
| 2006 | MOBO Award | Best International Male | Nominated |
| 2007 | Grammy Award | Best Rap Song for "Money Maker" shared with Ludacris | Won |
| 2007 | Grammy Award | Best Rap Album for In My Mind | Nominated |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | US Rap | UK Singles Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Frontin'(feat Jay-Z ) | #5 | #1 | #1 | #6 | The Neptunes Present... Clones |
| 2005 | Can I Have It Like That (feat Gwen Stefani ) | #48 | #32 | #20 | #3 | In My Mind |
| 2006 | Angel | ~ | ~ | ~ | #15 | In My Mind |
| 2006 | Number One (feat Kanye West ) | #57 | #40 | ~ | #31 | In My Mind |
| 2006 | That Girl (feat Snoop Dogg ) | #65 | #20 | #40 | TBA | In My Mind |
News
- Pharrell Williams is to become the new face of Louis Vuitton in a forthcoming ad campaign
Tours & Concerts
No tours to date
Announcements
Discography
Albums
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Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Frontin' | Arista/Star Trak |
| 2004 | She Wants To Move | Virgin |
| 2006 | Can I Have It Like That | Interscope/Star Trak |
| Angel | Interscope/Star Trak | |
| Number 1 | Interscope/Star Trak | |
| That Girl | Interscope/Star Trak |
Compilations & Live Releases
Other artists
Similar artists
Contemporaries
Trivia
- Also known as Skateboard P, Pharrellito
- He is an owner of an Enzo Ferrari
- He has a half-pipe inside his home, and is one of few rappers who skateboards, although he cannot do any tricks.
- In 2005, he was voted Best Dressed Man in the World by Esquire magazine. His look has inspired such acts as Mario and Eric West.
- He produced and mixed Drop It Like It's Hot in less than 15 minutes.
- He is often seen wearing a trucker hat, as Chad's dad did before.
- He is a big fan of Star Trek, 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%.
- He's said that he's a big fan of animation, he regularly watches Disney movies and admits he's a big Smurfs fan.
External Links
Categories: Artist | Hip-Hop | Rap
