Photo courtesy of thehollywoodshuffle.com
If you didn’t know who Pharrell Williams was a year ago I bet you do now. He’s the man behind the hat, your favorite artists’ favorite producer, and the voice behind the feel good songs you can’t seem to get out of your head. Pharrell’s been in the music industry for nearly two decades, but in the past year has taken the world by storm. And things only seem to be getting bigger and better for Skateboard P.
You can call him the renaissance man of music; he raps, sings, writes, and produces. Pharrell and Chad Hugo formed The Neptunes, a production duo responsible for hit songs from numerous hip hop, pop, and R&B artists such as Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Usher, and Kelis. The two also founded the record label Star Trak under Universal Music Group and linked up with Shay Haley to create the group N.E.R.D. It wasn’t until 2003 that Pharrell released his first solo track, “Frontin’.”
So how exactly has he dominated 2013 and 2014? Well, he produced and was featured on the anthem of the summer, Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” He collaborated with Daft Punk on their single “Get Lucky” which won Record of the Year at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Last but not least “Happy” (which has received the ultimate cover treatment) from Despicable Me 2 scored Pharrell an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
In addition to his crowd-pleasing performances at this year’s Grammys and Academy Awards, he kicked off the 2014 NBA All-Star Game. Pharrell lit up the arena and took everyone on a journey of his biggest songs, bringing out Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Diddy, and Busta Rhymes. Last weekend he took the stage at the Coachella Music Valley and Arts Festival. Living up to his typical star-studded standard he rocked the crowd with Tyler the Creator, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, and Diplo.
Riding his wave of success he released his second solo album G I R L in March. But he’s not done- Are you ready to see the big hat in the big red chair? He will be replacing CeeLo Green as a new coach on the seventh season of “The Voice.” During a recent interview on “Oprah Prime” Pharrell shed tears of joy, as he was overwhelmed with emotion after watching fan videos featuring his song “Happy.” He told Oprah, “I just appreciate the fact that people have believed in me for so long, that I could make it to this point to feel that.”
I have always considered Pharrell as one of the best producers of this generation. He’s distinctive, innovative, and a hit maker. It’s great to see him get the recognition he deserves. You wear the crown well, Mr. Williams!
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