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Pharrell Williams · S3 E8
The Takeover Begins
By 2001, if you didn't have a Neptunes beat, you were behind
Late 2001, a label executive flips through the Billboard charts and every genre says the same thing: Neptunes. He picks up the phone and calls Virginia Beach.
No Doubt, Hella Good (2002). Produced by The Neptunes. The moment Pharrell and Chad prove they can produce for a rock band from Anaheim just as naturally as a rapper from Brooklyn.
Hella Good, No Doubt (2002)
The Neptunes build No Doubt a beat that sounds like neither a No Doubt record nor a typical Neptunes production. A pulsing electronic bass line fuses with live drums, creating a futuristic dance-rock groove. Gwen Stefani's vocals ride a minimalist arrangement that could sit next to a Jay-Z track on the radio. The bass drives everything while the guitar floats as texture rather than backbone.
The Scope
In three years, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo have gone from anonymous studio kids to the most versatile production team in the music industry. Their client list reads like a festival lineup: Jay-Z, Britney Spears, ODB, Kelis, Mystikal, Ludacris, No Doubt, Usher. No other production duo in history has dominated this many genres at the same time.
“We just wanted to make things that felt different. We didn't plan to take over anything. We just kept saying yes to everyone who called.”
— Pharrell Williams, in interviews about The Neptunes' rise (paraphrased)
TAP TO REVEAL: How many genres did The Neptunes conquer between 1999 and 2001?
U Don't Have to Call, Usher
Yet another Neptunes conquest. This smooth, stripped-back R&B track from Usher's "8701" album peaked at #3 on the Hot 100. It sounds nothing like the Jay-Z beats, nothing like the Britney production, nothing like the No Doubt track. That is the whole point: The Neptunes never repeat themselves.
Which of these superstars did The Neptunes NOT produce a hit for between 1999 and 2001?
In 2002, two brothers from Virginia Beach called The Clipse will walk into a studio and ask for the hardest beat The Neptunes have ever made. What Pharrell gives them has no melody, no chorus, and no hook. Just two minutes of pure concrete.
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