Biography

Pharrell Williams didnt only help change the face of pop music during the late 90s and early 2000s He also iwasi one of the faces of pop music -- as a charismatic star who often stole the show when producing andor guesting on other artists hit singles His presence was unfading whether he was in front of a music video or behind a beat To trace the beginning of his ascent you have to go back to 1992 when Teddy Riley tapped him to write a verse for Wreckx-n-Effects Rump Shaker Since the late 90s Williams and longtime friend Chad Hugo -- known together as the Neptunes -- began scoring songwriting and production assignments that slowly but steadily infiltrated mainstream music whether it was via dance-pop Britney Spears Im a Slave 4 U hardcore rap Clipses Grindin or contemporary RB Babyfaces There She Goes Williams and Hugo were relatively obscure during the mid-90s doing spare work for the likes of SWV Total and Mase but they would eventually develop a style that would become as recognized and as mimicked as that of fellow Virginia Beach native Timbaland Prior to stardom all three producers were in a band together called Surrounded by Idiots As the duo took on more work Williams voice became increasingly familiar He was now more likely to provide the chorus and the background vocals of the same song in addition to appearing in the video Hearsee Jay-Zs Excuse Me Miss and Snoop Doggs Beautiful for two examples It wasnt until the summer of 2003 that he truly stepped out on his own He released his first solo single Frontin Produced with Hugo and featuring a guest verse from Jay-Z the song built anticipation for The Neptunes Present Clones a compilation of all-new tracks from artists produced by the duo Frontin was a ubiquitous summer hit and kept Williams momentum running up to the release of Hugo and Williams second funkrock-oriented NERD album released in March 2004 Williams first solo album In My Mind survived a number of delays and was finally issued in July 2006 Andy Kellman All Music Guide