58 / 302
Pharrell’s musical genius in producing hit
records gained prominence as one half
of record production duo The Neptunes.
Along with Chad Hugo, whom he met at
a seven-grade summer camp in Virginia
Beach, The Neptunes has contributed the
sound to many of the most successful
hip hop, R&B and pop artists of the late
1990s and 2000s. Tracks such as N.O.R.E’s
‘Superthug’, Jay-Z’s ‘I Just Wanna Love U
(Give It 2 Me), Mystikal’s ‘Shake Ya Ass’ and
Usher’s ‘U Don’t Have To Call’ are among
their many successes. The Neptunes were
also instrumental in launching artists such
as Kelis, Clipse,Vanessa Marquez and Justin
Timberlake and helped re-launch the
careers of Snoop Dogg, Robin Thicke and
Mystikal. Britney Spears’ ‘I’m A Slave 4 U’
and Nelly’s ‘Hot in Herre’ awarded them
worldwide hits which helped secure their
position as one of the
Top 10 producers in the industry. Pharrell is
also the lead vocalist and drummer of rock,
funk and hip hop band N.E.R.D, with Chad
Hugo covering the production and Shay
Haley supplying back-up vocals. As part
of The Neptunes, Pharrell has produced
hit singles for artists such as SWV, All
Saints, Mase, Blackstreet, Angie Stone,
Beenie Man and Ludacris, and has
personally earned five Grammy Awards and
two for The Neptunes. As a solo artist, the
singer has collaborated on Daft Punk’s
‘Get Lucky’ and ‘Lose Yourself to Dance’,
and Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ along
with T.I., as well as contributing to Azealia
Bank’s debut studio album
Broke with
Expensive Taste
and drummer sessions on
the soundtrack of Man of Steel.
Besides making and producing ground-
breaking hits, Pharrell is an innovative and
creative entrepreneur. He currently
owns a media venture that covers
entertainment, music, fashion and
art under an initiative called
‘i am OTHER’. This multi-
media creative collective and
record label umbrella includes
Billionaire Boys Club and Ice
Cream, Billionaire Girls Club
and Bionic Yarn. Billionaire
Boys Club and Ice Cream are
two clothing lines created by
Pharrell and Japanese fashion
icon Nigo in 2005 that
consists of a cool collection
of t-shirts, polos, sweatshirts,
denim, suits and shirts, hats,
sneakers and accessories.
Billionaire Girls Club
launched in 2011
features fun t-shirts and sweaters with
the BGC logo and the ‘Space Girl’ head
designed by Japanese graphic artist
SK8THING for the ladies, while Bionic
Yarn is an eco-friendly textile company that
earlier this year sealed a deal withAdidas to
produce an eco-friendly clothing collection
made from recycled bottles. Pharrell said:
“Working with an iconic brand like Adidas
is such an incredible opportunity. From the
classic tracksuit, to growing up in Virginia
wearing Stan Smiths, Adidas has been a
staple in my life. Their pieces are timeless.
This is an exciting partnership for both
me and for Bionic Yard.” The artist has also
produced a collection for high street brand
Uniqlo and has previously collaborated with
labels such as G-Star, Comme des Garçons,
Moncler and Louis Vuitton on limited-
edition products.
In January of this year, Pharrell caught
our attention when he wore a Vivienne
Westwood Buffalo hat to the Grammys.
The response to the oversized hat from
the designer’s 1982-83 collection was
phenomenal: the image went viral and
even acquired its own Twitter account
called ‘Pharrell’s Hat’. In a recent US radio
interview, the singer told the host that he
wasn’t deliberately trying to create a buzz
when he first wore it to the Grammys. “I
was just wearing a hat. Some people like
it and some people are like ‘what is that?’
At the end of the day, I feel good if I’m
expressing myself.” Pharrell who purchased
the hat at Vivienne Westwood’s World
End store in 2009, has other versions of
the famous Buffalo hat and can be seen
wearing a maroon, bold red and beige hat
in the video for his single ‘Marilyn Monroe’.
Recently, the famous brown Buffalo hat
was auctioned and bought by fast food
restaurant chain Arby’s with the proceeds
going to educational charity ‘From One
Hand to Another’ and will be on display at
the Newseum in Washington. The hat was
first seen at Westwood’s Paris show and
was also wore by former manager of the
Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren in the video
for hip hop group The World’s Famous
Supreme Team’s single ‘Buffalo Girls’ in
1982.
Last year, many hearts were broken when
Pharrell finally tied the knot with long-
term girlfriend, Ethiopian model and
designer Helen Lasichanh. The wedding,
a far cry from your traditional affair
saw the bride wear a voluminous dark
blue and green coat with a white gown
underneath, while her husband-to-be
opted for a red and green tartan tuxedo.
The couple posed for pictures in a lavish
tartan-filled reception aboard a yacht
bite
music
celeb