Skateboard P has produced platinum hits for hip-hop's biggest ballers, but when it comes to solo work he embraces his melodic side. Having first gained industry experience under the tutelage of 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 soloist, Pharrell's falsetto voice has ridden retro-soul songs to the top of the charts with 2014's Girl album, while his collaborators stay strictly A-list.