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Pharrell Williams · S2 E7
Ready to Blow
The phone starts ringing and it never stops
Right Trax Studios, New York, 2000. Pharrell builds a beat in eight minutes. Jay-Z writes an entire song over it in fifteen.
Jay-Z, I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) (2000). The Neptunes' first collaboration with Jay-Z as lead producers. Pharrell built the beat in eight minutes. Jay-Z finished the song in fifteen. It hit #1 on the R&B chart.
Got Your Money
Ol' Dirty Bastard calls The Neptunes to Quad Studios for his second album. They produce "Got Your Money" featuring Kelis, who comes up with the hook melody in an elevator on the way to the session. It peaks at #33 on the Hot 100.
TAP TO REVEAL: What else happened the night they made the Jay-Z hit?
“I was inspired by Jay-Z and the Neptunes. I told Jive I really wanted to work with them. I wanted to make it nastier and funkier.”
— Britney Spears, 2001
1999-2000: The Launchpad
Got Your Money. Ol' Dirty Bastard ft. Kelis
ODB's signature solo hit, produced by The Neptunes. Kelis came up with the hook melody in an elevator. The production is angular and raw, perfectly matched to Dirty's manic energy.
How long did it take Pharrell to create the beat for Jay-Z's "I Just Wanna Love U"?
Two kids from Virginia Beach now have Jay-Z's phone number and Britney Spears asking to work with them. In 2003, 43% of songs on American radio will be Neptunes productions. Next season: world domination.
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