Pharrell Lanscilo Williams ( fə-REL; born April 5, 1973), is an American musician, record producer and fashion designer. He initially became known as one half of the music production duo the Neptunes, which he established alongside Chad Hugo in 1992. Fifteen of their productions have peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, which includes four songs that peaked atop the chart. The two also formed the rock and hip-hop band N.E.R.D. with Shay Haley in 1999, for which Williams served as lead vocalist. He has been regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern popular music. He has also contributed on all the Despicable Me films as a musical contributor.
Williams co-founded the record label Star Trak Entertainment with Hugo in 2001, as an imprint of Arista Records. Williams's 2003 debut single, "Frontin'" (featuring Jay-Z), peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. He then signed with Virgin and Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, In My Mind (2006), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 despite mixed critical reception. Williams produced and guest performed alongside T.I.