Pharrell Williams has crafted platinum hits for hip-hop's biggest ballers, but when it comes to his solo work, he embraces his melodic side. Having first gained studio experience under new jack swing pioneer Teddy Riley in the early '90s, he teamed up with Chad Hugo to form the production unit The Neptunes before moving out from behind the boards with the rock- and funk-influenced N.E.R.D. project in 2001. As a singer, Pharrell's falsetto has ridden retro-soul songs like his own outrageously upbeat "Happy" and Daft Punk's MJ-indebted disco-pop juggernaut "Get Lucky" to the top of the charts.