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| Birth Name(s) : Pharrell Williams |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
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Partner:
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| Profession:
Actor |
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Full Pharrell Williams Biography
Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973) is an American producer, singer, rapper,and songwriter. He is one half of the production duo The Neptunes, where, along with Chad Hugo, he produces hip-hop and R&B music. He is also the lead singer and drummer of the funk-rock band, N*E*R*D. He released his debut single "Frontin'" in 2003 and followed up with his debut album In My Mind in 2006.
As part of The Neptunes, Pharrell has produced numerous hit singles for various music stars. He plays the drums, keyboard, and sings in a falsetto voice. Pharrell's work in The Neptunes has earned them three Grammy Awards amongst ten nominations. He is also the co-founder of the clothing brand Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Footwear.
Pharrell was born in Virginia Beach Virginia. He has four brothers, Pharoah Williams III, David Williams, Cato Williams, a professional skateboarder, and Solomon Williams.
Through working with Teddy Riley (Chicago), Pharrell went on to write Riley's verse for Wreckx-N-Effect's 1992 hit "Rump Shaker" (#2 Billboard Hot 100, 2x Platinum). That same year, he also performed a small rap solo on SWV's first hit, 'Right Here". In 1994, Hugo and Williams had established themselves formally as a production duo under the previously used name "The Neptunes", and produced "Tonight's The Night" from BLACKstreet's self-titled debut (Riley being a member of BLACKstreet). Over the next three years they continued to produce occasionally. Some of the production had little resemblance to the trademark Neptunes sound present today, including some of the productions for SWV (1996). However, some like Mase's 1998 No.8 (Billboard Hot 100) hit "Lookin' At Me" (from the Harlem World album, and the most definite beginning of the distinctive 'Neptunes Sound', came with N.O.R.E.'s "Superthug" in 1998, reaching #36 on the Billboard Hot 100, and gaining them widespread attention for the first time. The duo then went on to work heavily with Kelis (producing her first album Kaleidoscope in its entirety) and Ol' Dirty Bastard (Nigga Please), followed by Mystikal's hit single, "Shake Ya Ass".
In 2001, The Neptunes produced Britney Spears' single, "I'm a Slave 4 U" gaining their first world-wide #1.. The same year,Pharrell, Hugo and Haley released their first album as N*E*R*D In Search Of...) in Europe, where the first Kelis album was better received. The album sounded very much like their previous production work; the group decided that they should make their work as N*E*R*D sound different, and re-recorded the album, with the funk-rock band Spymob. The Neptunes also signed The Clipse, a rap duo from Virginia Beach that Pharrell had met back in 1993, to Arista Records through his recently established Star Trak Entertainment imprint.
In 2002 their re-produced album was released worldwide, and The Neptunes reached #1 in the U.S. with Nelly’s single, "Hot in Herre". In August of the same year, The Neptunes were named "Producers of the Year" at both The Source Awards and the Billboard Music Awards. Clipse released their commercial debut album, Lord Willin' on August 20, 2002. The album opened at #1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-hop Album chart and #4 on the Billboard Hot 200, fueled by the strength of its first two singles, "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time," which peaked at #34 and #19 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100.
2003 saw The Neptunes release a self-credited album called The Neptunes Present... Clones, featuring songs and remixes from various artists. This album topped the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The Neptunes and Pharrell specifically were also kept in public eye largely due to ties with Jay-Z, producing several hit singles for him and landing two tracks on his album The Black Album. "Frontin'" was a big summer hit (the 34th biggest single of 2003 according to Billboard Magazine). 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%.
N*E*R*D's second funk/rock-oriented album, Fly or Die, 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. They also gained their first UK #1, again with Nelly, and Flap Your Wings.
On September 9 2005, Pharrell performed the opening single from his debut solo album "In My Mind", "Can I Have It Like That", featuring Gwen Stefani. The single did poorly in the US, reaching only #48. However, it fared better in the UK, reaching #3. Between then and the release of "In My Mind" (on July 25, 2006), he released "Angel" (Europe only), and later Number 1 with fellow producer/rapper Kanye West. Several songs leaked to the internet before the album's released, most notably "Mamacita" featuring Daddy Yankee, which was subsequently cut from the final version. "That Girl" featuring Snoop Dogg was the final single. which was entirely about his first highschool sweetheart, Tamara Fernandez whom he adored. |
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