The Neptunes: Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo
Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo have had a consistent working relationship with Jay-Z beginning with “The City Is Mine,” produced by Teddy Riley, where Chad Hugo played the saxophone in the background. A year later The Neptunes produced “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)” on Jay-Z’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. The Neptunes track was the album’s lead single, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. On Jay Z’s The Black Album, the Neptunes produced the album’s lead single “Change Clothes,” which reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2003, as well as “Allure.”
Pharrell and Chad met at The Gifted and Talented, a summer camp in Virginia Beach. After graduating high school, the duo started working with Teddy Riley, whose recording studio was close to Pharrell’s school. In 1994, Pharrell and Chad formally established themselves as the Neptunes and produced a few songs for R&B groups of the mid to late 90s such as Blackstreet, Total, and SWV.
They have gone on to produce songs such as Usher’s “You Don’t Have to Call,” Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” NSYNC’s “Girlfriend,” Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body,” and Gwen Stefani’s “Wind it Up.”
The Neptunes have produced some of the most memorable songs in Jay-Z’s catalog.
