What do Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Busta Rhymes, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears and Nelly all have in common? The Neptunes. Made up of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, The Neptunes are one of the most successful record-producing duos in the history of music. They hit it off during their time at a summer camp for the musically gifted in Virginia Beach and decided to combine forces along with two other friends. It was there they discovered super producer and the creator of the New Jack Swing style that ruled the mid 80’s to early 90’s, Teddy Riley. As soon as they graduated high school, Riley signed the group to his label; it didn’t take very long for them to start generating buzz.
Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were versatile, both having credits all over the billboard charts ranging from backup vocals or beatboxing to playing the saxophone or upright bass. One of the first major credits was Jay-Z's 1997 ‘The City is Mine’ where Hugo plays saxophone on a Teddy Riley produced track. From 1998 to 2000, The Neptunes pumped out four number one hits with Mase’s ‘Lookin’ at Me’ ft. Puff Daddy, Noreaga’s ‘Superthug’ , Jay-Z’s ‘I Just Wanna Love U’, and Mystikal’s ‘Danger(Been So Long)’ in addition to two top 5 hits like Ludacris’ ‘Southern Hospitality’ and Mystikal’s ‘Shake Ya Ass’. These tracks feature neck snapping breakbeats combined with wild baselines and dreamy chord progressions that give the listener no choice but to bob and weave through the records.
Hugo and Williams were defying genre with their eclectic charting remix records like ‘Cowboy feat. Pharrell (The Neptunes Remix)’ for Kid Rock, Prince’s ‘The Greatest Romance Ever Sold ft. Pharrell & Q-Tip (The Neptunes Remix)’, Backstreet Boys’ ‘The Call featuring Pharrell & Clipse (The Neptunes Remix)’and Sade’s ‘By Your Side (The Neptunes Remix)’. In addition to the commercial success of their discography, these remixes helped them bridge the gap from primarily Hip-Hop and R&B records to mainstream pop in the early 2000’s and on.
2001 brought along more high-charting records like Usher’s ‘U Don’t Have to Call’ and collaborations with artists like Ray J, Babyface, Philly’s Most Wanted, and Fabolous but the most important tracks that paved The Neptunes’ way to industry-wide recognition were the number one singles, ‘Hella Good’ by No Doubt and ‘Slave 4 U' by Britney Spears. This was a pivotal moment for the duo breaking onto the global music scene of mainstream pop music, especially coming from the underground and underappreciated world of Hip-Hop. This momentum sent them on a tear in 2002 with their first Billboard 200 #1 album, Justin Timberlake’s iconic debut solo project ‘Justified’ with three top-5 hits, earning them a grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. As if that wasn’t enough they also earned their first Hot 100 #1 single with ‘Hot in Herre’ by Nelly. In addition to the records released in 2002 listed above, the duo added dozens of top-25 charting singles, 10 top-10 singles, and 6 number one albums and/or singles with artists such as Noreaga, Destiny's Child, Jay-Z and LL Cool J . This year also saw the first commercial album release from Virginia Beach Hip-Hop duo, and childhood friends Clipse.
Not only were The Neptunes pumping out commercial Pop hits, hardcore Hip-Hop tracks, and sultry R&B songs but they were also forming their own band. With the addition of childhood friend Shay Haley, the duo became a hybrid skate Punk, Hip-Hop, and rough Funk Rock trio that changed the aesthetic of youth culture. N.E.R.D manifested a cult following that bled into the fashion world led by Pharrell's style of bold, colorful, and in your face streetwear. The duo was already at the top of the industry by the end of the year but their reign was nowhere near over. 2003 begins with smash hits in ‘Beautiful’ by Snoop Dogg, ‘Excuse Me Miss’ by Jay-Z, and Kelis’ ‘Milkshakes’. In addition to these records, The Neptunes released their debut album, titled ‘The Neptunes Present...Clones’, which became their second number 1 Billboard 200 album in two years. Everything they touched turned to platinum.
The next few years brought more accomplishments with a top 5 charting N.E.R.D album titled ‘Fly or Die’, a dozen top 50 singles, and one of their most recognizable tracks and Snoop Dogg’s first Hot 100 chart-topping single ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’. It didn’t take more than a few months until The Neptunes are back at #1 with Gwen Stefani's anthemic hit Hollaback Girl . This hot streak continues with collaborators such as Clipse, Beyonce, Lupe Fiasco, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. 2006 & 2007 brought Grammy nominations and an award for Best Contemporary R&B Album for Mariah Carey’s ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’ and Best Rap Song for Ludacris’ ‘Money Maker’. Not to mention Pharrell’s debut solo album which was met with critical and commercial success. The rest of the decade closed out with more of the same: top-10 records and club anthems with Jay-Z, Beyonce, Madonna, Shakira, T.I., and Usher just to name a few. In 2009, The Neptunes were given their most prestigious award to date: Producer of the Decade. Comfortably at the top of their game, the duo took on less work together so they could work on personal projects and spend more time with their families.
Chad Hugo decided to start a DJ team that would sign to Fool's Gold Records in 2011. In 2013, Hugo worked on Earl Sweatshirt’s debut album ‘Doris’ and produced the lead single ‘Chum’. Later on in the year Chad produced The Internet’s lead single ‘Dontcha’ and his classic funky basslines with dreamy synth patches can be heard prominently. As for Pharrell, he continued to be one of the most sought after producers and creators not only in the music industry but in all entertainment. Not only was he producing songs for artists like Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator, Migos, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk, SZA, and many more but he’s also scored some of the biggest box office films of the decade with Hans Zimmer. Pharrell has solidified himself as one of the most influential creative entrepreneurs of our time as he branched out into films, fashion, television, and philanthropy. In 2017, the band reunited upon releasing their latest N.E.R.D album ‘No One Ever Really Dies’, which contained their biggest N.E.R.D song yet, Lemon ft. Rihanna.
Since coming on the scene in 1994, The Neptunes have worked with the biggest stars in the music industry whether that be in Hip-Hop, Pop, Reggae, Punk Rock, or Dance music. Their stamp has been left on the history of music and their signature sound has served as a soundtrack to the lives of young artists, primed and ready to take over. With their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 they have once again been recognized for their achievements and undeniable talents. Their influence in popular modern sonics, style, and aesthetics can be seen and heard throughout today’s music as the biggest songwriters and producers of our day try to emulate the effect this tag-team had on the world.
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