The Neptunes are an American production and songwriting duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1990. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos, while Hugo tends to stay behind the scenes.
N.E.R.D. is a hip hop and rock band, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1999. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were signed by Teddy Riley to Virgin Records as a duo, The Neptunes. After producing songs for several artists throughout the late 1990s, the production 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.
Justified is the debut solo studio album by American singer Justin Timberlake. It was released on November 5, 2002, by Jive Records. The album was written and recorded in a six-week period as Timberlake's band NSYNC was on hiatus. Half of the tracks were originally written for Michael Jackson by the Neptunes and later modified. For his solo album, Timberlake began to adopt a more mature image as an R&B artist opposed to the previous pop music recorded by the group. The majority of the album was produced by the Neptunes and Timbaland, and features guest appearances by Janet Jackson, Clipse, and Bubba Sparxxx. Primarily an R&B album, Justified also contains influences of dance-pop, funk, and soul music.
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams is an American rapper, record producer, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. 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.
Charles Edward Hugo is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. With close friend Pharrell Williams, he formed the production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he has produced songs for many recording artists. He is also a member of the band N.E.R.D, alongside Williams and Shay Haley.
Kenna Zemedkun, known professionally as Kenna, is an American musician, philanthropist and technology creative. His track "Say Goodbye to Love" was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in the 2009 Grammy Awards. Kenna is the founder and producer of the Summit on the Summit clean water initiative, and also partnered with Justin Timberlake to re-imagine the social network Myspace before its purchase by Time Inc.
The Neptunes Present... Clones is a compilation album produced and released by American production duo The Neptunes. It was released on August 19, 2003 and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. The album featured five singles; "Frontin'" by Pharrell Williams, "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.
Genesis is the fifth studio album by American rapper Busta Rhymes. The album was released on November 27, 2001, by Flipmode Records and J Records. The fourth single from the album, "Pass the Courvoisier Part II", peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100. It was included at the end of the album on some later pressings. The album debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 185,000 copies. It later sold 1 million domestic copies and certified Platinum by RIAA.
"Like I Love You" is the debut solo single of American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his debut studio album, Justified (2002), which features American hip hop duo Clipse. It was co-written by Timberlake and the Neptunes, who also produced it. The song was released on September 16, 2002, as Timberlake's debut solo single, following the announced hiatus of NSYNC earlier that year. According to Williams, the song's drums were an ode to the funk era.
"Señorita" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his debut studio album, Justified (2002). It was released on July 7, 2003, by Jive Records as the fourth single from the album. He co-wrote the track with its producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes. According to Timberlake, the song was influenced by Stevie Wonder. Musically, "Señorita" is an R&B, pop, and jazz up-tempo ballad, featuring an electric piano strut, cowbell in beat of the song, and a rhythm section. The song has been described as a Spanish "number" with a "Latin flavored" cut beat. In the track, Timberlake sings about a woman, whose attention he is trying to capture. "Señorita" received positive reviews from music critics, who commented on the track's general sound and lyrics.
New Sacred Cow is the debut studio album by Kenna, released on June 10, 2003 by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Chad Hugo of The Neptunes and Kenna. Kenna created something of an underground buzz with the release of his first single "Hell Bent" in 2001. The album was leaked to the internet over a year before its final release, as it was delayed by record company politics. "Freetime" was chosen as the single to lead off the release of the album. A video was shot, and appeared sporadically on MTV2 along with the video for "Hell Bent". "Freetime" peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts. In late 2004, "Sunday After You" was remixed by Chad Hugo and released as a single. The single version differs greatly from the album version.
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.
"Frontin'" is the debut single by American rapper, singer, and recording artist Pharrell Williams, featuring American rapper Jay-Z. It was written by Williams and produced by Williams' hip hop collective, 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.
Spymob is an American alternative rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Best known for their appearance on the 2003 Star Trak Entertainment compilation The Neptunes present Clones, with the song "Half Steering...", they also provided backing instruments for N.E.R.D.'s 2002 debut In Search Of.... Their major label debut, Sitting Around Keeping Score, was the first rock album to be released on The Neptunes Star Trak label. In 2014, the band released their second album, Memphis independently. Additionally, all four members have provided session work and touring support for other artists including N.E.R.D, Paramore, Snoop Dogg, Kelis, and Mike Doughty.
Blackstreet is the debut studio album from American R&B group Blackstreet, released in 1994 on Interscope Records. The group was formed by Riley with Chauncey Hannibal after the dissolution of Teddy Riley's former group Guy. The other members of Blackstreet - Joseph Stonestreet and Levi Little - were session singers alongside Hannibal on Bobby Brown's third album Bobby, an album that was mostly produced by Riley. They recorded one song for the soundtrack of the Chris Rock film CB4 called "Baby Be Mine". Before they could record an album, Stonestreet left the group and was replaced by former Force One Network singer Dave Hollister. When they re-recorded "Baby Be Mine" for their self-titled debut, Hollister's vocals were added on the album version of the song.
Sierra Marie Swan is an American musician. She is known for her work with Dollshead, Black Eyed Peas and as a solo artist.
"Burnin' Up" is a song by American singer Faith Evans featuring rapper Loon. It was composed by Evans, Loon, Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams for her third studio album Faithfully (2001), with production helmed by Hugo and Williams under their production moniker The Neptunes. A dance-inducing, beat-heavy uptempo song, "Burnin' Up" falls in line with the straightforward drums, guitar strumming, and clavichord worship of the duo's early years as producers. Lyrically, it has Evans pleading with a man she feels is destined to be her soulmate to recognize that they belong together.
"It Blows My Mind" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg, featuring guest vocals from American singer Pharrell Williams, taken from The Neptunes's first compilation album Clones. The song was written by Snoop Dogg, Chad Hugo and Pharrell, with production handled by The Neptunes.
"So Many Pros" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Snoop Dogg, featuring uncredited vocals by Charlie Wilson, The Neptunes and Rhea Dummett. It was released on April 14, 2015 as the second single from his thirteenth studio album Bush, through the record labels I Am Other and Columbia Records. The song was produced by The Neptunes.
"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.
