The Neptunes: The Producers

The Neptunes: The Producers

Boxing The Neptunes into a particular genre would be unfair. Virginia Beach's Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo flew under the hip-hop/R&B radar when supplying SWV, Noreaga, and Ma$e with tracks in the late '90s, but they quickly became music's most in-demand producers following a series of hits by JAY Z ("I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" and Mystikal ("Shake Ya Ass" and "Danger (Been So Long)") in 2000. Their futuristic sound appealed to pop's elite, including Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, and *NSYNC—they would later produce the majority of Justin Timberlake's debut, Justified. Pharrell and Chad also spun off into genre-blurring band N.E.R.D and introduced Robin Thicke, Kelis, and The Clipse via their Star Trak imprint. No producer rooted in hip-hop and R&B has ever crossed over into other genres with such depth and aptitude.

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