Pharrell Lanscilo Williams, also known by his stage name Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. He founded the hip hop and R&B production team the Neptunes with close friend and coworker Chad Hugo in the early 1990s, and since then, they have worked on tracks for a variety of recording artists.

He joined the band N.E.R.D., which he co-founded with Hugo and drummer Shay Haley, as the main vocalist in 1999. Williams has received much praise for being one of the most successful and influential music producers of the twenty-first century and significantly influencing the sound of contemporary popular music.