PHARRELL WILLIAMS

Biography

Pharrell Williams was born April 5, 1973, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was there as a young child that he was first exposed to the many facets of popular music. “We lived across the street from a biker group called The Renegades, which were like Hell’s Angels,” he recalls. “They played a lot of rock ‘n’ roll; so they’d be playing ‘Born To Be Wild’ across the street. Meanwhile in my house, my mom and dad are playing Earth, Wind & Fire, but on the radio they playing Rick James and Queen. I never really lost that.”
pharrell and chad hugo
While those sounds were taking shape in his head Pharrell began making his own music as an aspiring drummer, a passion that eventually landed him a spot in a local jazz band camp several years later. It was there, as a geeky 12 year old, that he first met Chad Hugo, another Virginia Beach native who would become his lifelong musical collaborator. Hugo recalls, “Pharrell played drums, and I played sax. We'd bang on the cafeteria tables. He would freestyle. That developed into making music in my garage after school. He would come up with hooks and beats. We had the cheapest keyboards ever, like a small Casio.”

Despite their humble origins, the boys soon made names for themselves at their high school where they formed a popular four-piece R&B group along with friends Shae Haley and Mike Etheridge. Thanks to a little luck and a whole lot of talent, the group soon caught the attention of local New jack swing producer Teddy Riley who signed the boys following their graduation.

pharrell and rump shaker
That deal quickly paid dividends for all concerned when Pharrell contributed lyrics to Wreckx-N-Effect's hit single "Rump Shaker" in 1992. In addition to claiming the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song also established Pharrell as a legitimate songwriting talent.

the neptunes produce superthug

Pharrell and Chad parleyed Pharrell’s reputation into a lucrative gig as producers and became collectively known as The Neptunes. After several years of producing tracks for promising artists such as Total, Mase and BLACKstreet, The Neptunes finally hit the jackpot in 1998 when they produced Noreaga’s “Superthug.” The song quickly became one of the hottest hip-hop singles of the year, going on to peak at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Perhaps more importantly, “Superthug” created a major buzz in the industry and The Neptunes reaped the rewards by receiving offers to work with A-list talent like Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, Babyface, Mariah Carey, and Justin Timberlake.

n*e*r*d releases in search of…
Although producing songs for others was gratifying in its own way, the boys ultimately hungered to leave their own imprint; Pharrell, Chad and Shae created their own up-tempo rock band called N*E*R*D, an acronym standing for “Nothing Ever Really Dies.” The group’s first release was 2002’s In Search Of…, a slickly produced 12-track album with a distinctive funk-rock vibe. Although the album failed to find a mass audience, Pharrell and Chad still received plenty of props later that year when they were named Producers of the Year at The Source Awards and the Billboard Music Awards.

the neptunes presents... clones
Now well-respected industry vets, The Neptunes followed up their award-winning success by creating No. 1 hits for Nelly and Britney Spears. Pharrell also learned to stretch his wings in 2003 by releasing his own hit single "Frontin'," featuring Jay-Z. The song was also included on that year’s The Neptunes Presents... Clones, an album of remixes from top-flight artists like Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Kelis, and Nas.

pharrell receives two grammys
2004 proved to be another busy year as N*E*R*D released their second album, Fly or Die, a 12-track disc featuring performances by special guests Lenny Kravitz and Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte. Pharrell also continued to stay busy on the production side of the biz and was rewarded for his hard work with a pair of Grammys for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical and Best Pop Vocal Album.

pharrell goes solo
Pharrell’s next major undertaking was In My Mind, a daring 15-track solo album released on July 25, 2006. The decision to go solo was actually something he wrestled with for a long time. “I figured I would do something a little more reflective of how I think,” he explains. “And the best thing was In My Mind because in my mind I'm all these things -- I'm good, I'm bad, I'm holy, I'm horny.” The long-awaited album also features performances by Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nelly, Slim Thug, and Snoop Dogg.

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