Who’s Who in Piece by Piece, and the Pharrell Hits that Defined Them
It might seem crazy what I’m ‘bout to say, but if you only know Pharrell Williams from his inescapable 2013 hit “Happy,” then you only know half the picture. Before the goofy hats and his soundtrack work, Pharrell was one of the most popular and in-demand songwriters and producers in the young history of hip-hop, grinding at his craft ever since the early 90s. With the release of Piece by Piece - a radical music biopic telling Pharrell’s story entirely with LEGO pieces - we thought it was worth breaking down who’s who among all the major celebrities playing themselves in the film, and what chart-topping hits Pharrell made with them over the years.
N.O.R.E. - “Superthug”
The rapper formerly known as Noreaga (from Capone-n-Noreaga) saw his group becoming stars with the release of their 1997 album The War Report when his partner, Capone, was sentenced to several years in jail. Determined to not let this diminish his momentum, he immediately began work on a solo album and enlisted The Neptunes to produce a single for him at a time when they only had a few credits under their belt. The song, “Superthug” became N.O.R.E.’s biggest hit for years to come, from either his group or his solo career. And with N.O.R.E.’s championing and “Superthug’s” success on hip-hop radio, The Neptunes soon became two of the most in-demand producers in the game.
Busta Rhymes - “What It Is”
By 2001, Busta Rhymes had recorded five albums in the span of five years, each one with a tracklist that was over an hour long, and could have rested on his laurels as much as any other major artist, but much like Jay-Z with The Blueprint that same year, Busta Rhymes decided his new album “Genesis” (his first album without an apocalyptic theme) needed a fresher touch. So along with his usual producers like J Dilla, Nottz, and Just Blaze, he brought in The Neptunes to bring their modern, more minimalistic approach to songwriting. They ended up contributing three songs - all of which became singles, and the most underrated of them features Busta Rhymes rapping with singer Kelis, another act who The Neptunes produced albums for in their early years.
Pusha-T - “Grindin’”
Unlike most artists on this list, Pharrell and The Neptunes grew up in the same city as the members of Clipse, the duo made up of brothers Pusha-T and Malice. When Chad Hugo and Pharrell formed the Neptunes, they started making songs with Malice and eventually Pusha-T in Virginia Beach as early as 1991, far away from any major hip-hop city like NYC or Los Angeles. The Neptunes’ rising star through the 90s helped Clipse get a record deal, but their 1999 album Exclusive Audio Footage sold poorly. When The Neptunes formed their own record label in the early 2000s, they brought along Clipse determined to break them into the mainstream. With a strikingly minimalist beat (one millions of kids banged out on the lunchroom tables in the early 2000s), Pharrell led them to their first big hit with “Grindin’” - a tale of street and drug life that defined Clipse for a global audience.
Justin Timberlake - “Rock Your Body”
The Neptunes had produced *NSYNC’s last charting hit in 2001 with “Girlfriend,” so when Justin Timberlake went solo the following year, he enlisted their talents again to create a funky, more mature version of the dance-pop that made his previous group famous. They ended up producing seven tracks for Timberlake’s first solo album, Justified, but none of them were bigger than “Rock Your Body,” a track that The Neptunes had originally given to Michael Jackson. The song had more of a disco groove than anything *NSYNC had recorded before, and alongside the smash hit “Cry Me a River” (produced by Timbaland and Scott Storch) proved that Timberlake could be a massive commercial force in his own right.
Jay-Z - “Change Clothes”
By 2003, Jay-Z, exhausted from 7 years on top of the hip-hop game, announced his retirement with his 8th album, The Black Album. Determined to make a definitive statement, he tasked the top producers in hip-hop (including Kanye West, Timbaland, Just Blaze, and more) with coming up with era-defining beats for him to rap over. The Neptunes, who had a Top 10 hit with Jay-Z earlier that year with “Frontin’”, delivered a smooth, melodic beat that inspired Jay to rap about trading in his earlier streetwear for more mature fashion, a metaphor for growing up and leaving certain youthful things behind. Jay-Z’s retirement was short-lived, of course, but “Change CLothes” continued to be one of his defining hits of the 2000s.
Snoop Dogg - “Drop It Like It’s Hot”
Much of the promotional material for Piece by Piece has been built around Snoop Dogg’s appearance and the scenes dramatizing Snoop Dogg’s 2004 #1 hit, “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” It’s easy to take for granted in an era when Mr. Dogg is a commercial spokesman par excellence and Olympics mascot, but his career around the early 2000s was at a low ebb. Despite #1 albums and a consistent presence in the West Coast hip-hop scene, Snoop hadn’t had many big singles or critically-respected moments since he first arrived on the scene with The Chronic and Doggystyle, his debut album. After their hits with other East Coast legends and pop stars like *NSYNC and Britney Spears, Snoop enlisted The Neptunes to write a song for his new album, an attempt to be current with the sound of the day. With just the sounds of tongue clicks, a short keyboard lick, and an 808 machine, The Neptunes created a beat bolstering a catchy chorus from Snoop Dogg that led to the first #1 song for both him and Pharrell.
Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl”
When Gwen Stefani broke away from her ska punk band No Doubt, she wanted a song that would more or less declare her intentions and be what she called an “attitude song.” Having worked with The Neptunes in the past with No Doubt, she enlisted their production and songwriting talents again to come up with a single inspired by a negative comment somebody made about her years before, calling her a “cheerleader.” She was determined to make a song where she embodied the role of cheerleader and told the haters that she would do whatever it is she wants to do, so she and Pharrell spent one night writing out the lyrics together. The song went to #1 and was impossible to get out of your head in the mid-2000s thanks to The Neptunes’ fast beat and Stefani’s inspired sass.
Daft Punk - “Get Lucky”
Beginning the year with this Daft Punk smash and ending with the release of “Happy,” 2013 was a banner year for Pharrell Williams. But unlike every other song on this list, “Get Lucky” was not produced by Pharrell or The Neptunes. Instead, the catchy, disco-infused melody was crafted over a course of 18 months by French electronic duo Daft Punk, with a notable guitar part performed by Nile Rodgers of the disco band Chic (“Good Times” and “Le Freak”). Pharrell came in towards the end of the recording process and contributed lyrics and a vocal line that helped to turn the song into a #2 hit in the U.S. Pharrell, for his part, did not even remember recording the line due to jet lag and the exhausting recording sessions, and was as surprised as anybody else when he heard the finished track for the first time.
Kendrick Lamar - “Alright”
On Kendrick Lamar’s breakthrough album Good Kid M.A.A.D City, Pharrell provided a solo production credit on a mid-album track called “Good Kid,” but for Kendrick’s major follow-up, To Pimp a Butterfly, Pharrell gave Kendrick Lamar a beat that Lamar said felt “more like a statement rather than a tune.” Inspired by his recent visits to South Africa, Lamar decided to craft an inspirational song about remaining hopeful in the middle of whatever personal or political struggles might be affecting the listener. Pharrell was brought in to sing the hook and the song ended up being the most long-lived song on the album, with the song taking on new meaning as an anthem during the 2016 and 2020 Black Lives Matter protests