Chad Hugo

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Chad Hugo
Chadhugo (300dpi).jpg
Hugo performing with N.E.R.D. in 2009
Background information
Birth nameCharles Edward Hugo
Also known as
  • Chase Chad
  • Neo-Thrift-Musica
  • Shimmy Hoffa
  • Yardnoise
  • Chad The Creator
Born (1974-02-24) February 24, 1974 (age 49)
Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Record producer
  • songwriter
Discography
Years active1994–present [1]
Labels
Member of

Charles Edward Hugo (born February 24, 1974) is an American record producer. Alongside close colleague Pharrell Williams, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in 1992, [1] with whom he's produced numerous hit records for various artists. He is also a member of the band N.E.R.D., alongside Williams and Shay Haley, and co-founded the record label Star Trak Entertainment with Williams in 2001. In contrast to Williams, Hugo typically does not perform on records. [2]

Contents

Early life

Hugo was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, to a Filipino-American family. His mother was a lab technician and his father served in the United States Navy. [3] His exploration of music included recording mixtapes in his home using a boombox, and writing a paper about Robert Moog after learning about synthesizers from the news, which sparked an interest in electronic musical equipment. [4] He later joined his school band, playing the saxophone, through which he met Pharrell Williams, with whom he began producing music. They formed The Neptunes, and in 1992, upon entering a local talent contest, they were discovered by Teddy Riley, whose studio was close to their school. [5] Williams introduced Hugo to Shay Haley, [6] with whom they formed the group N.E.R.D in 1999. During high school Hugo worked as a professional DJ, performing at local church events, [4] and he and Williams also met and begin collaborating with brothers Pusha T and No Malice of Clipse, recording in Hugo's bedroom in his parents' attic. [7]

Career

Through working with Riley, the Neptunes wrote Wreckx-n-Effect's 1992 song "Rump Shaker" while still in school. [5] They also worked with Riley's group Blackstreet, co-writing the single "Tonight's the Night" from their self-titled debut album. [5]

The Neptunes continued their production work, contributing to projects by New York City-based rapper Noreaga, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and Kelis [5] for whom they would entirely produce her debut studio album, Kaleidoscope in 1999, and her album Wanderland two years later. [8] Hugo met Jay-Z during a studio session for his second studio album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997), performing saxophone on the album's second single "The City Is Mine", [9] with the Neptunes going on to produce a number of tracks for Jay-Z. The Neptunes also produced hip hop duo Clipse's album, Exclusive Audio Footage in 1999, which went unreleased until 2022. [10]

In 2001, the Neptunes founded the label Star Trak Entertainment, [9] on which both the Neptunes and N.E.R.D would release the entirety of their projects until the label's dissolution in 2014. The same year, N.E.R.D. released their debut studio album, In Search of... , experimenting with more live instrumentation in comparison to the Neptunes' previous output. [11] Soon after, the Neptunes gained their first worldwide hit, producing Britney Spears' single, "I'm a Slave 4 U", [12] and wrote and produced NSYNC's final single, "Girlfriend". After the breakup of NSYNC, they continued to work with group member Justin Timberlake, writing and producing most of his debut solo album, Justified . [13]

In 2003, Hugo co-wrote and co-produced all songs on Kenna's debut album New Sacred Cow , and the Neptunes released a compilation album, Clones , featuring songs and remixes from various Star Trak artists. At the 2004 Grammy Awards, they won awards for "Best Pop Vocal Album" for their work on Justified, and "Producer of the Year". [14] Continuing his work with Kenna, Hugo co-produced all tracks on his next three projects: The Black Goodbye EP (2007), Make Sure They See My Face (2007), and Land 2 Air Chronicles II: Imitation Is Suicide Chapter 1 (2013). Hugo's notable solo production work includes collaborations with Ashlee Simpson, JoJo, E-40, The Internet, and BROCKHAMPTON. He has also done remixes for Jesse McCartney, Kings of Leon, and St. Vincent.

Hugo worked with Baltimore producer and DJ Daniel Biltmore under the name "MSSL CMMND", releasing mixtapes, original productions, and remixes of artists including Rhye, Iamsu!. [15] Under the moniker Yardnoise, he produced six tracks on the companion album to the film Manny (2014), by directors Ryan Moore and Leon Gast, which chronicled the early life and career of Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. [16] [17]

Hugo and Pharrell Williams were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as a part of the 2020 class. [18]

Discography

With N.E.R.D.
With the Neptunes

Personal life

Hugo has three children, born in 1998, 2000, and 2014. [19] [20] [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Neptunes</span> American record production duo

The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos, while Hugo tends to stay behind the scenes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N.E.R.D.</span> American hip hop and rock band

N.E.R.D. is an American hip hop and rock band, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1999. The Neptunes were signed by Teddy Riley to Virgin. After producing songs for several artists throughout the late 1990s, the duo formed the band with Shay Haley as a side project of The Neptunes in 1999. N.E.R.D.'s debut album, In Search Of..., sold 603,000 copies in the United States and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also awarded the second annual Shortlist Music Prize. The band's second album, Fly or Die, sold 412,000 copies in the United States, but shipped at least 500,000 units, certifying it Gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelis</span> American singer (born 1979)

Kelis Rogers, known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she learned to play the saxophone and won a spot in the Girls Choir of Harlem. Upon graduation, Rogers soon landed a role as a backing vocalist for the hip hop group Gravediggaz. She then began working with music producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, collectively known as the Neptunes, who led her to sign with Virgin Records in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharrell Williams</span> American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer (born 1973)

Pharrell Lanscilo Williams, sometimes known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he has produced songs for various recording artists. In 1999, he became lead vocalist of the band N.E.R.D., which he formed with Hugo and drummer Shay Haley. Williams has been widely referred to as one of the most influential and successful music producers of the 21st century, having had a significant impact on the sound of modern popular music.

<i>Kaleidoscope</i> (Kelis album) 1999 studio album by Kelis

Kaleidoscope is the debut studio album by American singer Kelis. It was released on December 7, 1999, by Virgin Records, and was produced entirely by the Neptunes. Despite underperforming in the United States, the album saw mild success in certain international markets, including the United Kingdom, where it charted at number 43 and was certified gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clipse</span> American hip hop duo

Clipse, also known as The Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, chiefly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Malice was originally known as Malicious, then changed his stage name to Malice soon after the group's formation, before changing it again to No Malice in 2012 following a conversion to Christianity. The duo were based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and were heavily affiliated with producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the two in 1992 to be a rap duo instead of solo artists. Williams would go on to serve as their label head, main producer and frequent guest artist through most of their career. The duo frequently rapped about the drug dealing they had done in their youth. Clipse was integral in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast's strongholds in hip hop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Trak Entertainment</span> American record label

Star Trak was an American record label, founded by the Neptunes and Rob Walker in 2001. It operated as a division of Interscope Geffen A&M, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Its name is a reference to the 1960s TV program Star Trek.

<i>Lord Willin</i> 2002 studio album by Clipse

Lord Willin' is the major label debut and second studio album by hip hop duo Clipse. The album was released on August 20, 2002 in the United States by Star Trak and Arista. Recording sessions took place over a year, beginning in 2001. Production was handled by The Neptunes.

<i>Clones</i> (album) 2003 compilation album by The Neptunes

The Neptunes Present... Clones is a compilation album produced and released by American production and songwriting duo The Neptunes. It was released on August 19, 2003 and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. The album featured six singles; "Frontin'" by Pharrell Williams, "Popular Thug" by Kelis, "Light Your Ass on Fire" by Busta Rhymes, “Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Fam-Lay, "Hot Damn" by Clipse and "It Blows My Mind" by Snoop Dogg.

<i>In Search of...</i> (N.E.R.D. album) 2001 American studio album

In Search of... is the debut studio album by American funk rock band N.E.R.D. The group originally released the album on August 6, 2001 in Europe, where Kelis' Wanderland—produced by The Neptunes, consisting of N.E.R.D members Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo—was better received. Similarly to Kelis' early work, the original version of In Search of... juxtaposes hip hop and rock influences and styles. The album is named after the TV series In Search of..., hosted by Leonard Nimoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontin'</span> 2003 single by Pharrell Williams featuring Jay-Z

"Frontin'" is the debut single by American musician Pharrell Williams featuring fellow American rapper Jay-Z. It was written by the artists alongside Chad Hugo, who produced it with Williams as the Neptunes. At the time of its release, Williams insisted the single was a one-off, and that he was purely a producer and not an artist in his own right. However, he released his own solo studio album, In My Mind, in 2006.

<i>Hell Hath No Fury</i> (Clipse album) 2006 studio album by Clipse

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Nathaniel Johnson, also known as Fam-Lay is an American rapper.

The following is a discography of production by the Neptunes, a production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Good (Clipse song)</span> 2009 single by Clipse featuring Pharrell

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"Supplies" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his fifth studio album, Man of the Woods (2018). It was written and produced by Timberlake with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes, and released on January 18, 2018. Its music video was directed by Dave Meyers. The song was serviced to rhythmic radio on January 23, 2018, as the album's second single.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pharrell Williams". Sony/ATV Music Publishing . Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Like the song? These guys wrote it". The Age . May 15, 2004. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ Diep, Eric. "20 Years Later, Neptunes Producer Chad Hugo Is Still Searching For More". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Cox, Azariah. "In Search of Chad Hugo". GQ. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Like the song? These guys wrote it". The Age. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Pharrell Williams on meeting his Neptunes partner Chad Hugo". CBS Sunday Morning. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  7. ↑ Williams, Chris. "Origin Stories: The Neptunes". Redbull Music Academy. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  8. ↑ Bierut, Patrick (March 7, 2020). "'Kaleidoscope': How Kelis Rewrote The R&B Rulebook". Udiscovermusic.com. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Jenkins, Craig. "The Humble Hitmaker". Vulture. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  10. ↑ "On 'Exclusive Audio Footage,' The Long-Lost Clipse Album". Vinyl Me, Please. April 19, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  11. ↑ Bernstein, Michael (March 25, 2002). "N.E.R.D.: In Search of... Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  12. ↑ "The Neptunes produced Britney Spears 'Slave 4 U'". Capital Xtra . Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  13. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (August 23, 2002). "Preview Of Justin Timberlake Album From Neptunes' Hugo". MTV . Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  14. ↑ "The Neptunes earn long-overdue Grammy". Today. February 9, 2004. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  15. ↑ Kohn, Daniel. "Here's What Chad Hugo Has Been Up To Lately". Vice. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  16. ↑ Gallo, Phil. "Yardnoise's Chad Hugo, 'Face Your Destiny (Manny's Theme)': Exclusive Video Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Face Your Destiny Soundtrack (Music Inspired By "Manny" The Movie)". Discogs. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Mariah Carey, Neptunes Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame". The Hollywood Reporter . January 16, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Priscilla Lynch Hugo (@priscillalynch) • Instagram photos and videos". instagram.com.
  20. ↑ "Here's What Chad Hugo's Been Up to Lately". October 9, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Chad Hugo is a N.E.R.D. to be recognized – today > entertainment – Music". TODAY.com. June 17, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
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