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1973 births

Pharrell Williams

Ch. 1 of 8
— CH. 1 · INTRODUCTION —

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Pharrell Williams

8 sections

  • Pharrell Williams, the American musician, songwriter, record producer and fashion designer, was once behind a startling share of the songs on the radio. An August 2003 survey cited by The Age found that his production duo, the Neptunes, had made almost 20 percent of the songs played on British radio. A separate survey in the United States put their share at 43 percent. Few producers have ever been so present in the background of popular music. Yet Williams did not stay there. He was born in Virginia Beach in 1973, and he spent his career stepping back and forth between the control room and the spotlight. How did two teenagers from a high school band end up with such a grip on the charts? What was the small habit at the start of his beats that listeners learned to recognize? And what happened when some of his biggest songs drew a very public backlash?

  • In 1831, one of Williams's ancestors journeyed to West Africa, and in 1832 other relatives emigrated from the United States to Liberia. The family's roots in Virginia and North Carolina ran back many generations. Williams himself was the eldest of three sons, born to a teacher named Carolyn and a handyman. His path into music began at a seventh-grade summer band camp. There he met Chad Hugo, with Williams playing drums and Hugo playing tenor saxophone. The two later joined the school band at Princess Anne High School, known as the Fabulous Marching Cavaliers. Williams graduated in 1991. He then spent two years at Northwestern University before dropping out.

    Their first group came in the early 1990s. Surrounded by Idiots counted Hugo, Magoo and Williams's cousin Timbaland among its members, and it broke up before recording anything. Williams then formed a four-piece group with Hugo and friends Shay Haley and Mike Etheridge. He described its style as R&B-type, and it took the name the Neptunes. The group entered a high school talent show. Producer Teddy Riley, whose studio stood next to the school, discovered them there. After graduation, they signed with Riley.

    Williams wrote Riley's verse on the 1992 hit Rump Shaker by Wreckx-n-Effect. That same year, he and Hugo established the production partnership that would carry the Neptunes name into the biggest studios in music.

  • In 1998, the Neptunes produced Noreaga's single Superthug. In the late 1990s they also began working with Clipse, the rap duo of Pusha T and Malice. Their first project together, an album called Exclusive Audio Footage, was never released. In 1999 the Neptunes produced Kaleidoscope, the first studio album by the singer Kelis. Her second, Wanderland, followed in 2001.

    The year 2000 brought two rap singles built by the duo. One was Mystikal's Shake Ya Ass, and the other was Jay-Z's I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me). In 2001, Williams and Hugo co-founded the record label Star Trak Entertainment as an imprint of Arista Records. Williams is a fan of the science fiction series Star Trek. He uses the Vulcan salute to signal the label's name. Through Star Trak, the pair signed Clipse to Arista that same year.

    Pop stars came calling too. The Neptunes produced songs on Babyface's 2001 album Face2Face, including its lead single There She Goes. For Britney Spears, they made I'm a Slave 4 U and Boys, both on her third studio album, Britney. Nelly's Hot in Herre arrived in 2002. That year Clipse released their debut album, Lord Willin', which the Neptunes produced from start to finish.

    Justin Timberlake's debut album Justified also leaned heavily on the duo. They produced numerous songs on it, including the singles Señorita, Like I Love You and Rock Your Body. In 2003, the Neptunes released a compilation album called Clones. By then, fifteen of their productions had reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, and four had reached number one.

    Behind that run sat a rhythmic trick that listeners could pick out within seconds of a song starting.

  • In a 2019 interview with Vulture, Williams explained where his most recognizable production habit came from. Throughout his career he has been known for what are called four-count loops or four-count starts. These are short rhythmic openings at the front of the beats he makes, and they are widely considered a producer signature.

    The habit, he said, was an accident. He was trying to start a song exactly on the beat instead of relying on a metronome. The loop was simply what remained in the song after that effort.

    Williams has said he has no direct musical influences. He does admire many musicians, though, among them Michael Jackson, J Dilla, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Rakim and Q-Tip. A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, was a "turning point" in his life. It showed him that music could be art.

    He has also pointed to synesthesia as a source for his art and for his enjoyment of music from a young age. One name on his list of heroes, Marvin Gaye, would later sit at the center of a legal fight over one of Williams's own songs.

  • In 1999, Williams, Hugo and Shay Haley formed N.E.R.D., a band that mixed rock and hip-hop. Williams served as its lead vocalist. Their debut album, In Search of..., gave him a stage of his own beside the Neptunes work.

    His first solo single, Frontin', arrived in 2003 with Jay-Z as a guest. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2004, Williams also sang on Snoop Dogg's Drop It Like It's Hot, a Neptunes production. The Neptunes then produced Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl. It entered the Hot 100 at number 82 on the issue dated the 2nd of April 2005. Within six weeks of its release, it topped the chart.

    Williams signed with Virgin and Interscope Records for his debut studio album, In My Mind. Released in 2006, it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, despite mixed reviews from critics. That year the Neptunes also produced Clipse's second album, Hell Hath No Fury. They worked on several songs for Stefani's The Sweet Escape, including the promotional single Yummy, which features Williams.

    In December 2006, Williams was announced as a performer at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in London, set for the 1st of July 2007. The Neptunes contributed to Jay-Z's tenth studio album, American Gangster, in 2007. In 2008, Williams worked with Madonna on her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. N.E.R.D. released their third album, Seeing Sounds, that year. In June 2008, NME revealed that he wanted to produce the next album by the rock band the Strokes. He also worked on a remix album for Maroon 5.

    In 2009, Williams wrote four songs for Shakira's sixth studio album, She Wolf. They were Did It Again, Why Wait, Good Stuff and Long Time. The Neptunes also produced numerous songs on Clipse's third album, Til the Casket Drops. A guest appearance by Williams on French singer Uffie's debut album, released in early 2010, closed out the decade.

  • In 2010, Williams worked on the music score for the animated film Despicable Me with composers Hans Zimmer and Heitor Pereira. Two original songs of his, Despicable Me and Fun, Fun, Fun, came from that film. N.E.R.D. released their fourth studio album, Nothing, through Star Trak that year. In 2012, Williams composed and produced the music for the 84th Academy Awards alongside Zimmer.

    In March 2013, Robin Thicke's single Blurred Lines was released. Williams wrote and produced it, and he and the rapper T.I. appeared as guests. It reached number one in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. The Recording Industry Association of America later gave it diamond certification.

    The French electronic duo Daft Punk also invited Williams to their fourth studio album, Random Access Memories. He joined them and Nile Rodgers on Get Lucky, and he also worked on Lose Yourself to Dance. Get Lucky reached number one in the United Kingdom and number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It won Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. In mid-2013, Williams was part of two songs that each sold a million copies in the UK. They were Get Lucky and Blurred Lines.

    That same year, Williams wrote three new songs for Despicable Me 2: Just a Cloud Away, Happy and Scream, the last featuring CeeLo Green. Happy became his second song to top the Hot 100 in 2013. In November, he released its music video, billed as the first 24-hour music video. Guests included Magic Johnson, Steve Carell, Jimmy Kimmel and the group Odd Future.

    In December 2013, Williams was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year. He also signed with Columbia Records. On the 18th of February 2014, he announced on Twitter that his second album, Girl, would arrive on the 3rd of March 2014. Happy was its lead single. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and drew positive reviews. A European concert tour, the Dear Girl Tour, supported it.

    At the 86th Academy Awards on the 2nd of March 2014, Happy lost the Best Original Song prize to Let It Go from Frozen. Asked by GQ how badly he had wanted the Oscar, Williams answered: "When they read the results, my face was...frozen. But then I thought about it, and I just decided just to...let it go". He wore a tuxedo with shorts that night, an outfit people debated. On the 31st of March 2014, he was announced as a new coach on the seventh season of The Voice, replacing CeeLo Green. In May 2015-16-year-old Sawyer Fredericks of Team Pharrell won the eighth season.

  • At the 2015 Grammy Awards, Williams performed an orchestral version of Happy with Hans Zimmer and the pianist Lang Lang. The performance included a tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement, inspired by Eric Garner's death and the unrest in Ferguson. The same year brought a very different public moment. A unanimous jury ruled that Blurred Lines, which Williams co-wrote and produced, infringed on Marvin Gaye's 1977 song Got to Give It Up. The jury awarded the Gaye family $7.4 million in damages, based on profits the song had generated.

    In November 2018, Williams performed at a gala for Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, which raised a record $60 million. Speaking there about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, he said it was incredibly cruel and wrong. He praised the resilience of the Jewish community. Critics later attacked him on social media for singing Happy at the event. They noted that the IDF had killed over 200 Palestinians in 2018, and they called the song contrary to the military's actions.

    In October 2019, Williams said he regretted Blurred Lines. The 2013 song had met intense backlash over its apparent sexist themes.

    On the 26th of March 2021, his cousin Donovan Lynch was shot and killed by a Virginia Beach police officer. Police said Lynch had been brandishing a handgun after three shootings in the area. Williams has called for a federal investigation into the incident.

  • In 2005, Williams partnered with the Japanese fashion icon Nigo to create the streetwear brand Billionaire Boys Club and the Ice Cream footwear line. That same year, Esquire voted him the Best Dressed Man in the World. In 2008 he co-designed a series of eyewear and jewelry for Louis Vuitton. In 2009, he unveiled a sculpture made with the artist Takashi Murakami at Art Basel, which spoke to the metaphor of value.

    In May 2012, Williams launched I Am Other, which he owns as sole proprietor. It acts as a record label and as a creative umbrella for his other ventures. In 2014, he entered a long-term partnership with Adidas, and his NMD Human Race collection was released on the 23rd of July 2016. That February, he and G-Star Raw announced RAW for the Oceans, a denim line made from recycled ocean plastic. It was presented at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. In April 2014, he released a collection called i am OTHER at Uniqlo. In 2017, he designed a sneaker priced at 1,000 euros with Chanel and Adidas. In November 2020, he launched Humanrace, a skin care brand. In June 2022, Doodles named him its Chief Brand Officer.

    On the 14th of February 2023, Louis Vuitton announced Williams as its men's creative director. The post had been vacant since the death of Virgil Abloh in 2021. Williams showed his first collection at Paris Men's Fashion Week in June 2023.

    Home stayed close to him. In 2008, he founded a non-profit called From One Hand To AnOTHER. In 2011 he announced that the foundation would fund a $35 million after-school center in his home town, Virginia Beach. On the 12th of October 2013, Williams married his longtime partner, the model and fashion designer Helen Lasichanh. They have four children: a son named Rocket, born in 2008, and triplets born in January 2017. The Despicable Me song Rocket's Theme was written in honor of Rocket. Williams is a skateboarder with a half-pipe inside his home.

    In April 2019, he and the city of Virginia Beach launched Something in the Water, a three-day music and cultural festival on the Oceanfront, set for the 26th to the 28th. Severe storms cancelled the first day. The Pharrell and Friends set closed the second day, with guests including Jay-Z, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Usher, Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliott. That year he also offered internships to 144 students at Promise Academy in Harlem.

    He has won 13 Grammy Awards, including three for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, one of them as a member of the Neptunes. In 2017 he was a two-time Oscar nominee, with a Best Picture nomination as a producer of Hidden Figures. New York University's Tisch School of the Arts named him artist-in-residence in October 2015. He gave the university's 2017 commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree on the 17th of May 2017.

    His life became the subject of Piece by Piece, an animated documentary made with Lego animation and released in theaters in October 2024. A film loosely based on his life, Golden, was filmed by Michel Gondry. Universal canceled it in February 2025, before post-production, after a disagreement with Williams and other producers. On the 11th of July 2025, Clipse released their fourth album, Let God Sort Em Out, with Williams as executive producer and guest. On the same day, France appointed him a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour. The citation described him as a singer-songwriter, producer and creative director of a ready-to-wear collection, with 31 years of service.

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Updated

Common questions

Who is Pharrell Williams?

Pharrell Williams is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and fashion designer, born on the 5th of April 1973 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He first became known as one half of the production duo the Neptunes with Chad Hugo.

How did Pharrell Williams meet Chad Hugo?

Pharrell Williams met Chad Hugo at a seventh-grade summer band camp, where Williams played drums and Hugo played tenor saxophone. They later played in the Princess Anne High School band, the Fabulous Marching Cavaliers.

What songs did Pharrell Williams produce with the Neptunes?

The Neptunes produced Nelly's Hot in Herre, Snoop Dogg's Drop It Like It's Hot and Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl, plus Britney Spears's I'm a Slave 4 U and songs on Justin Timberlake's Justified. Fifteen of their productions reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, and four reached number one.

What is the four-count start in Pharrell Williams's music?

The four-count start is a short rhythmic loop at the beginning of the beats Pharrell Williams produces, and it is considered his producer signature. He told Vulture in 2019 that it was unintentional, left over from trying to start a song on the beat instead of using a metronome.

What happened with Pharrell Williams and Blurred Lines?

In 2015, a unanimous jury found that Blurred Lines, which Williams co-wrote and produced, infringed Marvin Gaye's 1977 song Got to Give It Up. The jury awarded the Gaye family $7.4 million in damages, and in October 2019 Williams said he regretted the song.

When did Pharrell Williams become creative director at Louis Vuitton?

Louis Vuitton announced Pharrell Williams as men's creative director on the 14th of February 2023. He took the position left vacant by the death of Virgil Abloh in 2021 and showed his first collection at Paris Men's Fashion Week in June 2023.

All sources

166 references cited across the entry

  1. 1Artist: Pharrell WilliamsNovember 23, 2020
  2. 2Timbaland Reveals Pharrell is His Cousin at 'The Cruz Show'Mika — The Neptunes — February 13, 2016
  3. 3Pharrell Williams – OverviewAndy Kellman
  4. 4Pharrell WilliamsSony/ATV Music Publishing
  5. 5The Neptunes Named the Greatest Modern Hip Hop Producers by BillboardJuly 22, 2021
  6. 6NewsLos Angeles TimesChris Lee — June 1, 2008
  7. 7The Story of How Pharrell Became the Most Influential Man in Music
  8. 8MagazinePharrell Williams, Rick Rubin & More of the Most Awarded Producers of the 2000sJuly 23, 2021
  9. 9Pharrell Williams the Pharrell Phenomenon
  10. 10Like the song? These guys wrote itMay 15, 2004
  11. 11BBC
  12. 12Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers Win Record Of The YearJanuary 26, 2014
  13. 13Pharrell Williams, i am OTHER, and SoundCloud Talent SearchApril 24, 2020
  14. 14Pharrell WilliamsFebruary 15, 2023
  15. 15NewsJust WilliamsLuke Bainbridge — November 5, 2005
  16. 16Pharrell WilliamsOctober 13, 2003
  17. 17Stated on Finding Your Roots, February 16, 2021
  18. 18Why Pharrell Almost Didn't ExistSeptember 2014
  19. 19NewsLike the song? These guys wrote itMelissa Campbell — May 15, 2004
  20. 20NewsVirginia is for hip-hop loversJube Jr. Shiver — February 8, 2004
  21. 21NewsPharrell Williams - profile: Happiness is his truthMay 30, 2014
  22. 22NewsStyle; The SoundSasha Frere-Jones — February 8, 2004
  23. 23YOLK Generasian Next | 2.0 Archive
  24. 24On 'Exclusive Audio Footage,' The Long-Lost Clipse AlbumAndrew Winistorfer — April 19, 2018
  25. 25MagazineKelis Claims The Neptunes Kept All the Profits From Her First Two AlbumsMichael Saponara — Billboard — January 30, 2020
  26. 26'In Search Of...': N*E*R*D's 21st-Century Hip-Hop Mission StatementPatrick Bierut — August 6, 2020
  27. 27Rap duo 'Clipse' rocks the gangsta hip-hop sceneJune Torbati — December 8, 2006
  28. 28Neptunes' Pharrell Williams Rethinks R&B
  29. 29Today in Hip-Hop History: The Clipse Release Their Debut LP 'Lord Willin' 18 Years AgoSha Be Allah — The Source — August 20, 2020
  30. 30The Neptunes: Clones Album ReviewRollie Pemberton — Pitchfork — August 25, 2003
  31. 31Knowledge Drop: How Crips Pressured Pharrell To Produce Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot"Eddie Fu — Genius — November 16, 2019
  32. 32Magazine50 Cent Nets A Fourth Top 10 HitMargo Whitmire — March 24, 2005
  33. 33MagazineStefani Single Ousts 50 Cent From No. 1Margo Whitmire — April 28, 2005
  34. 34Pharrell: In My MindNME — August 7, 2006
  35. 35MagazineLeToya Powers Right To No. 1 On Billboard 200Billboard — August 2, 2006
  36. 36Clipse: Hell Hath No Fury Album ReviewSean Fennessey — Pitchfork — November 27, 2006
  37. 37Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape Album ReviewMark Pytlik — Pitchfok — December 7, 2006
  38. 38Concert for Diana announcedDecember 12, 2006
  39. 39Today In Hip-Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped His 'American Gangster' Soundtrack LP 12 Years AgoSha Be Allah — The Source — November 6, 2019
  40. 40Pharrell Williams Talks Madonna Argument During 'Hard Candy' Studio SessionsMay 2, 2014
  41. 41NME News Pharrell Williams: 'I want to produce The Strokes' new album' - NME.COMJune 13, 2008
  42. 42MagazinePharrell, Oakenfold, Of Montreal Remix Maroon 5Jonathan Cohen — October 31, 2008
  43. 43N.E.R.D.: Seeing Sounds Album ReviewIan Cohen — Pitchfork — June 13, 2008
  44. 44Music – News – Shakira: 'Pharrell taught me a lot'October 10, 2009
  45. 45Busy P » UFFIE "Pop The Glock" VIDEOEd Banger Records — October 8, 2009
  46. 46Clipse: Til the Casket Drops Album ReviewIan Cohen — Pitchfork — December 10, 2009
  47. 47NewsUSA Today: Rapper-producer Pharrell has new CD, big plansMesfin Fekadu — April 11, 2010
  48. 48N.E.R.D.: Nothing Album ReviewJayson Greene — Pitchfork — November 5, 2010
  49. 49Mike Posner: From His Mother's Basement To HereJP DelaCuesta — December 7, 2011
  50. 50NewsThe Oscars: Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams know the score for the telecast – they wrote itAugust Brown — February 24, 2012
  51. 51Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' Collaborators: Pharrell WilliamsVice — April 15, 2013
  52. 52MagazineDaft Punk's 'Get Lucky' Is Year's Best-Seller in U.K., Rises To No. 1Paul Sexton — April 29, 2013
  53. 53MagazineGet Lucky Chart HistoryBillboard
  54. 54MagazineAzealia Banks Premieres Pharrell Williams-Assisted, 'ATM Jam': ListenSydney Gore — July 3, 2013
  55. 55Azealia Banks blames Pharrell for 'ATM Jam' performanceGerrick Kennedy — November 12, 2013
  56. 56Pharrell Williams' Happy was originally recorded by Cee Lo GreenSean Michaels — April 30, 2014
  57. 57Heitor Pereira / Pharrell Williams – Despicable Me 2 Original Motion Picture SoundtrackJames Christopher Monger — AllMusic
  58. 58MagazinePharrell Williams Gets 'Happy' on 'Despicable Me 2' SoundtrackMay 21, 2013
  59. 59Hans Zimmer Conducts 12 Drummers for the 'Man of Steel' Soundtrack (Video)Hilary Lewis — June 25, 2013
  60. 60MagazineRobin Thicke Admits He Didn't Really Write 'Blurred Lines,' Was High in the StudioCharlotte Alter — September 15, 2014
  61. 61Blurred Lines: the most controversial song of the decadeDorian Lynskey — November 13, 2013
  62. 62MagazineRobin Thicke Chart History
  63. 63Official Singles Chart Top 100The Official UK Charts Company — June 2, 2013
  64. 64Blurred Lines gives Pharrell his second million seller in a monthOfficial Charts Company — July 17, 2013
  65. 65Busta Rhymes Discusses "Scenario," A Tribe Called Quest & Chris Lighty – The Combat Jack Show Episode 3Edwin Ortiz — August 15, 2013
  66. 66Pharrell Williams debuts 24-hour, interactive music video for 'Happy'Amar Toor — November 22, 2013
  67. 67Watch: Pharrell unveils "Happy", the world's first 24-hour music videoAlex Young — November 21, 2013
  68. 68Church-goers speak on impact of Pharrell Williams' visit at Emanuel AMEAlexis Simmons — WCSC-TV — November 2, 2015
  69. 69NewsGrammy Nominations: Jay Z Leads But Timberlake, Other Stars Shut Out of Top Categories – Variety
  70. 70NewsPharrell Williams signs to ColumbiaSean Michaels — December 18, 2013
  71. 71MagazinePharrell to Perform at OscarsJon Blistein — February 4, 2014
  72. 72Major Lazer Announces 'Apocalypse Soon' Ep Out February 24th 2014Contactmusic.com — February 14, 2020
  73. 73Major Lazer – Apocalypse Soon EP
  74. 74Future – Move That Dope Feat. Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino (Prod. By Mike WiLL Made It) | Stream & Listen New SongHotnewhiphop.com — February 6, 2014
  75. 75Pharrell Announces New Album "Girl"; Reveals Cover & Release DateKevin Goddard — Hotnewhiphop.com — February 19, 2014
  76. 76NewsDear Girl TourAdam Fleischer — MTV
  77. 77NewsPharrell Williams on Advanced Style Moves and That Oscar Snub: My Song Will "Be Here For 10 Years"Zach Baron — March 2014
  78. 78NewsOscars 2014:Pharrell Williams wears tuxedo shorts on the red carpetMarch 2, 2014
  79. 79Rihanna Wins Big At iHeartRadio Awards: See The Winners ListMTV — May 1, 2014
  80. 80Pharrell Williams Comme Des Garcons Fragrance Collaboration GIRL (Vogue.co.uk)March 12, 2014
  81. 81NewsPharrell Williams joining 'The Voice'Lisa Respers — CNN — March 31, 2014
  82. 82'Sisterhood of Hip Hop' to Debut on Oxygen This SummerKristin Corry — Vibe.com — June 9, 2014
  83. 83MagazinePharrell Talks eBay Collab, Beyonce's Album, Scoring the 'Spider-Man' Sequel and MoreOctober 24, 2013
  84. 84Marc Webb, Hans Zimmer Form Supergroup for 'Amazing Spider-Man 2'Rebecca Ford — October 31, 2013
  85. 85T.I. Talks Working With Executive Producer Pharrell Williams For His "Paperwork" AlbumPower1049.com
  86. 86Art and Fashion Stars Toast a Pharrell-Curated Exhibition in ParisMay 27, 2014
  87. 87MagazineHear Gwen Stefani and Pharrell's Soul-Searching 'Shine'Ryan Reed — December 31, 2014
  88. 88Pharrell Announces 'Live Earth' Global Climate Concert – Business InsiderJanuary 21, 2015
  89. 89MagazinePharrell to guest on 'The Simpsons' – exclusiveDan Snierson — January 22, 2015
  90. 90NERD mark return with three songs for SpongeBob film soundtrackJanuary 7, 2015
  91. 91Magazine7 Things We Learned About Sawyer Fredericks Backstage at 'The Voice'Denise Quan — May 20, 2015
  92. 92Pharrell performs "Happy" with Hans Zimmer at the Grammys — watchSasha Geffen — February 8, 2015
  93. 93MagazineHow 'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' Could Start a Real RevolutionLandon Jones — December 4, 2014
  94. 94'Blurred Lines' jury finds for Marvin Gaye
  95. 95MagazinePharrell Williams: NYU Tisch School of the Arts artist in residenceMegan Daley — September 23, 2015
  96. 96Pharrell Williams, the Musician, Songwriter, and Producer, to Speak at NYU's CommencementNYU Web Communications
  97. 97Commencement 2017: A Grad's Perspective website of NYU
  98. 98Album Review: Ariana Grande's 'Sweetener'Chris Willman — August 17, 2018
  99. 99Ariana Grande "Blazed" ft. PharrellSheldon Pearce — August 17, 2018
  100. 100Here are the full album credits for Ariana Grande's SweetenerWandera Hussein — August 17, 2018
  101. 101Something in the Water - Virginia Beach - April 26 - 28 2019
  102. 102PHARRELL REVEALS SOMETHING IN THE WATERMarch 4, 2019
  103. 103Pharrell Reveals Something in the Water Festival 2019 Lineup: Travis Scott, Pusha-T, and MoreMadison Bloom et al. — Pitchfork — March 4, 2019
  104. 104MagazinePharrell Williams Cancels First Day of Something in the Water Music Festival Due to Severe StormsRania Aniftos — Billboard — April 26, 2019
  105. 105MagazinePharrell Brought Out Every Rapper Ever for His Something in the Water SetJason Newman — April 28, 2019
  106. 106Something in the Water Festival Recap: Pharrell Gives Virginia Something to Be Proud OfApril 30, 2019
  107. 107'The Lion King' Soundtrack Details Revealed; Includes New Elton John SongAdam Chitwood — June 24, 2019
  108. 108Pharrell Williams claims 'Blurred Lines' taught him about 'chauvinist culture'The Brag — October 15, 2019
  109. 109Pharrell Williams Announces Lego-Inspired Biopic 'Piece by Piece' at Focus FeaturesSamantha Bergeson — January 26, 2024
  110. 110Pharrell Williams, Michel Gondry Scrap Their Movie Musical at Universal in Postproduction (EXCLUSIVE)Matt Donnelly — Variety — February 7, 2025
  111. 111On their first reunion album, rap duo Clipse make a fresh startLeor Galil — 2025-08-28
  112. 112Tyler, the Creator Made ‘Don’t Tap the Glass’ to Make You JumpLex Pryor — 2025-07-25
  113. 113Pharrell Williams honored with Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at 2026 Grammy AwardsOumou Fofana — 2026-02-01
  114. 114Pharrell Is Giving Atlanta's Veterans A Second WindAron A — August 6, 2026
  115. 115Pharrell Williams, Accidental CroonerToshitaka Kondo
  116. 116MagazineQ&A: Pharrell WilliamsAustin Scaggs — November 17, 2005
  117. 117How synaesthesia inspires artistsHolly Williams — BBC — October 21, 2014
  118. 118Pharrell Williams On Juxtaposition And Seeing SoundsDecember 31, 2013
  119. 119'I Don't Know What Myself Is' Pharrell explains why he's better when he's making music for other people, and his songs that defined the decade.2019
  120. 120Pharrell buys back Billionaire Boys Club & Ice Cream brands from IconixFashionNetwork.com — January 21, 2016
  121. 121NewsHip-hop's glittering touchstoneFebruary 27, 2009
  122. 122JournalWhen a For-Profit Acquires a Nonprofit OrganizationEILEEN DECESARE et al. — 2010
  123. 123Interview with Pharrell Williams at Art Basel 2009June 11, 2009
  124. 124VernissageTV Art TV - Takashi Murakami & Pharrell Williams: The Simple Things / Interview with Pharrell Williams / Art 40 BaselEnrico on
  125. 125MagazinePharrell Williams Named Creative Director at Karmaloop TVMay 9, 2011
  126. 126Pharrell Williams Launches Social Media Venture "I Am Other"Steven Horowitz — May 15, 2012
  127. 127First Look: Pharrell x Moncler Lunettes Sunglasses Collection
  128. 128Pharrell to Collaborate With AdidasDavid Yi — March 27, 2014
  129. 129adidas Originals and Pharrell Williams announce 'long term partnership' with first collection dropping Summer 2014March 28, 2014
  130. 130Adidas NMD "Human Race" collection to be released on July 23, 2016Kyle Rooney — July 18, 2016
  131. 131Pharrell Williams, G-Star to launch eco-friendly denim lineFebruary 10, 2014
  132. 132Adon Magazine, August 2014 issueadonmagazine.com
  133. 133Pharrell Williams Collection For Uniqlo T-shirt Collaboration (Vogue.co.uk)April 2014
  134. 134Pharrell Williams' G I R L exhibition at Galerie PerrotinHugo Compain — May 22, 2014
  135. 135Pharrell on WheelsStyle of Sport — March 25, 2014
  136. 136We Are FriendsWithYou Written by FriendsWithYou, Contribution by Pharrell Williams and Alejandro Jodorowsky, Introduction by Peter Doroshenko – Rizzoli New York – Rizzoli New YorkRizzoliusa.com
  137. 137Rick Famuyiwa Rides High with Critically Acclaimed 'Dope'Atlanta Blackstar — May 19, 2015
  138. 138NewsChanel and Pharrell Williams Drop World's Most Exclusive SneakersJoelle Diderich — November 22, 2017
  139. 139Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Gala Raises Record $60 Million for SoldiersMargeaux Sippell — November 2, 2018
  140. 140Pharrell Williams criticised for singing 'Happy' to Israeli soldiers as part of army fundraiserSaeed Saeed
  141. 141MagazinePharrell Williams Partners With Verizon for Music Education Program: Exclusive
  142. 142Pharrell Is Launching a Skin-Care Line Called Humanrace, and We Tried It FirstBrennan Kilbane — November 25, 2020
  143. 143Watch Pharrell Do His Morning Skin-Care RoutineLauren Valenti — November 23, 2020
  144. 144Pharrell Williams And Adidas Originals Debut Vanity Teen 虚荣青年 Lifestyle & New Faces MagazineVanity Teen — December 22, 2021
  145. 145Doodles Hires Pharrell Williams as Chief Brand OfficerJeff Pratt — June 22, 2022
  146. 146Louis Vuitton appoints Pharrell as its new men's creative director
  147. 147NewsLouis Vuitton picks Pharrell Williams to lead men's designsFebruary 15, 2023
  148. 148News'Insensitive': Pharrell Williams' $1m Louis Vuitton handbag attracts criticismEllie Violet Bramley — November 9, 2023
  149. 149Pharrell Williams Marries Helen Lasichanh, Usher and Busta Rhymes Perform: All the Details!Stephanie Webber — October 12, 2013
  150. 150Pharrell Williams Biography: Music Producer, Musician, Singer (1973–)Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks)
  151. 151Pharrell Williams and Helen Lasichanh Welcome TripletsJanuary 31, 2017
  152. 152Pharrell Williams | Clue Magimageplaybuttons — Cluemagazine.wordpress.com — April 5, 2012
  153. 153Pharrell Is The World's Best-Dressed Man (According To Esquire, Anyway)
  154. 154The nerd who inherited the earth
  155. 155MaximBlender.com
  156. 15613 Questions With Pharrell
  157. 157No Kidding! Pharrell Building $35 Million After School Center For Kids (PHOTO)Cacy Forgenie — July 7, 2011
  158. 158Pharrell Gifts Futuristic Community Center to Virginia Kids
  159. 159NewsPharrell Williams just offered internships to 114 Harlem high school gradsChristina Maxouris — CNN — July 3, 2019
  160. 160NewsPharrell Williams calls for investigation after cousin shot dead by policeApril 7, 2021
  161. 161Arnaults' buying spree boosts sluggish market for luxury homes in ParisIan Johnson et al. — December 29, 2025
  162. 162Pharrell Williams Singer releases stimulating 'Freedom' videoJoey Akan — Joey Akan — July 23, 2015
  163. 163'Piece by Piece' Review: Pharrell Williams Gets the Lego Treatment in Bouncy Outside-the-Box DocPeter Debruge — October 1, 2024
  164. 164Décret du 11 juillet 2025 portant promotion et nomination dans l'ordre national de la Légion d'honneurJuly 13, 2025
  165. 165Légion d'honneur : Gisèle Pelicot, Sophia Aram, Mona Ozouf… Les femmes mises en avant dans la promotion du 14-JuilletJuly 7, 2025
  166. 166De Marc Levy à Pharrell Williams : une Légion d'honneur "happy"July 13, 2025

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