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Pharrell Williams
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Startrak Entertainment/Virgin recording artist Pharrell Williams, who blazed a career to the top of the charts as a mega-platinum producer, songwriter and multi-instrumental musician in the Neptunes and N.E.R.D., has completed his first solo album project. Entitled IN MY MIND, and featuring guest appearances by Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z, Daddy Yankee, and Slim Thug, the album will arrive in stores on November 14th, it will be released in the world outside N. America on Virgin Records and in N. America by Interscope.
Preceding the release of IN MY MIND, two singles will be released to radio: "Can I Have It Like That," described as 'the hip-hop single,' featuring Gwen Stefani; (Radio date: 26th September) and "Angel," described as 'the R&B single' (Radio date 24th October).
The two tracks - as well as all the music on IN MY MIND - were produced by Pharrell, who also played all instrumental parts, and handled programming and mixing duties. Recording sessions took place in Virginia Beach, Miami, and Los Angeles.
A unique project that reflects its creator's self-professed practice of "universalism and individualism," IN MY MIND comprises seven R&B tracks and seven hip-hop tracks. The integral nature of the songs "is meant to evoke emotion and evoke debate and evoke dialogue," says Pharrell, "to get people talking and realizing, 'Wow, I could be me. He just did it with R&B and hip-hop - I could do it with politics and religion, I could do it with science and social studies, I could do it with clothing and food, I could be an artist and be an equestrian, there's just so many things you could do."
"That's what DaVinci did, so many of the greats. We're all renaissance people and we have to tap in to that and we have to realize it. Not just to think that we're good at a few things, but to realize that we have the ability to do more than those things and be the best at it."
Pharrell's extraordinary success as a hit maker dates back to the mid-'90s when, barely out of high school in Virginia Beach, he and childhood friend Chad Hugo teamed up as the Neptunes. Top producer Teddy Riley gave them their first breaks and soon the Neptunes were amassing hits with Ol' Dirty Bastard (1999's "Got My Money"), Mystikal ("Shake Ya Ass" in 2000), and Jay-Z (2001's "I Wanna Love U"). 2001 was the year that Pharrell and his partner began to upset the pop world with follow-up smashes on Britney Spears ("I'm A Slave 4 U"), Usher ("U Don't Have To Call"), and *NSYNC ("Girlfriend") - while still putting together an impressive run of hits on the hip-hop side with Lil' Bow Wow ("Take Ya Home"), Busta Rhymes ("Pass The Courvoisier"), LL Cool J ("Luv U Better"), and Nelly's all-time "Hot In Herre."
The Neptunes' A-list was a dizzying who's who of rap, rock and pop that also included Babyface, Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Jermaine Dupri, Ice Cube, Ray J, Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Marilyn Manson, Brian McKnight, Moby, No Doubt, N.O.R.E., P. Diddy, Snoop Dogg, SWV, Tha Liks, and Total. Truly, no production and songwriting team had ever put together such a track record in such a short space of time.
For their achievements, the Neptunes were named Producers of the Year at both The Source Awards and Billboard Awards in August 2001. Two months later at the BMI Urban Awards, Pharrell was named "Songwriter of the Year" for posting three songs on the Most Performed list: "Shake Ya Ass," "Got Your Money" (by Ol' Dirty Bastard featuring Kelis), and "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" (by Jay-Z). Pharrell was also named one of the top BMI-affiliated producers of the year, along with being named a multiple winner by Billboard of songs that topped the R&B/hip-hop charts during 2000.
Into the following year, the Neptunes kept up their assault on the charts with hits from Destiny's Child, Beenie Man, and Justin Timberlake's Grammy-nominated "Like I Love You," which featured (and introduced) Neptunes discoveries Clipse. Their debut album, Lord Willin' inaugurated the Neptunes' Star Trak label in August 2002, braced by a trio of rap/R&B hits: "Grindin'," "When the Last Time," and "Ma, I Don't Love Her."
In January 2002, the Neptunes introduced their alter ego N.E.R.D. on the debut album "In Search Of..." (Virgin). Its familiar hard-hitting hip-hop beats were interlaced with psychedelic pop and classic rock, and the first single "Lapdance" (produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails) took over modern rock radio across the US. The video for another track, "Rock Star" featured Spymob, the live band brought in by N.E.R.D. to record the album. Spymob's album, Sitting Around Keeping Score, the next release on the Neptunes' Star Trak label, was issued July 2003.
A month later, The Neptunes Present...Clones, arrived on Star Trak with a bang - debuting at #1 with a quarter-million first week sales. The album's success was fueled by Pharrell's debut hit single and video with Jay-Z, "Frontin'," a #1 R&B/ #5 pop phenom. The multi-artist album spun off two more hit singles and videos, as Busta Rhymes was joined by Pharrell on "Light Your A** On Fire"; and Clipse joined with Ab-Liva, Pharrell, and Rosco P. Coldchain for "Hot Damn." In the clubs, the Kelis and Nas duet, "Popular Thug" also broke out. Clones was an industry landmark - in addition to the aforementioned artists, Pharrell enlisted friends and collaborators including Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Dirt McGirt (the artist formerly known as Ol' Dirty Bastard), Jadakiss, Nas, N.O.R.E., and Star Trak artists High Speed Scene, Vanessa Marquez, Super Cat, FAM-LAY, Spymob, and Chad and N.E.R.D.
Since the completion of the second N.E.R.D. album Fly Or Die (released March 2004), and follow-up International tour dates on their own and with Dave Matthews Band in the US, Pharrell has pursued his usual supercharged work ethic. In 2005 alone, the Neptunes have worked on best-selling albums and tracks with Slim Thug (Already Platinum), Beanie Sigel (B. Coming), Missy Elliott (Cookbook), Omarion (O), Faith Evans (First Lady), and Mariah Carey's blockbuster The Emancipation Of Mimi.
Meanwhile, Pharrell - an inadvertent fashion trendsetter who was voted 2005's "Best Dressed Man In the World" by Esquire magazine - has launched a shoe line called Ice Cream and a sneaker and clothing line called BBC, Billionaire Boys Club. His first retail store is scheduled to open on November 5th in Tokyo's ultra-hot Shiboya district. "That's where the clothes are being made," he says, "so that's where the first store is."
With the release of IN MY MIND, Pharrell Williams finally gets a chance to put his personal musical philosophy on the front line. "My thing is good music is good music," he says. "You bring me one person who's a major super rock head who doesn't know Puffy's song 'It's All About the Benjamins' or 50 Cent's 'In the Club.' Or you bring me a major hip-hop head who doesn't know 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' or 'Jeremy.' Or you name somebody who loves R&B who doesn't know Dolly Parton's 'Workin' 9 To 5' or 'The Dukes Of Hazard' theme song - they know these songs because these songs transcended beyond their own genre and just established themselves as great timepieces. That's what music is supposed to be, the soundtrack of your life."
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| Can I Have It Like That |
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| Touch (Omarion) |
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Hollaback Girl
(Gwen Stefani) |
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| She Wants To Move |
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| Frontin' |
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| U Don't Have To Call (Usher) |
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| Boys (Britney Spears) |
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Take Ya Home
(Bow Wow) |
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| Producers for smashes for Nelly, Usher, Mystikal, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, N'SYNC, and others |
| Pharrell Williams is member of Band NERD |
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Big Jon Platt
