The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

and Chad Hugo, formed in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the ...

, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while Hugo remained behind the scenes. Since their inception, the Neptunes have produced songs for several

music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...

artists, including Clipse,

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

, Kelis, N.O.R.E.,

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...

, T.I., Robin Thicke, Usher, Gwen Stefani, and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, among others. In 2009, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' ranked the Neptunes number one on their list of the top 10 producers of the decade. In January 2020, the Neptunes were announced to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as a part of the 2020 class, and in May 2021, Hugo and Williams received Honorary Doctorates from Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

History

Williams and Hugo met at a summer camp for the school of the Gifted and Talented in

, where Williams played drums and Hugo played tenor saxophone. Upon entering a local talent contest in 1991, the Neptunes were competing with childhood friends

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

, Timbaland & Magoo, which led to the duo to be discovered by record producer Teddy Riley, whose studio was close to Williams' school.Chad Hugo: Rock Star
, an interview with '' Yolk Magazine'', 2002 Through working with Riley, Williams wrote Wreckx-n-Effect's 1992 song " Rump Shaker" while still in school. They also worked with Riley's group Blackstreet, co-writing the single " Tonight's the Night" from their self-titled debut album. In 1998, the Neptunes produced

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

-based rapper Noreaga's single " Superthug". They also produced Ol' Dirty Bastard's 1999 single " Got Your Money" featuring singer Kelis, for whom they would entirely produce her debut studio album, '' Kaleidoscope'' (1999), and her 2001 album '' Wanderland''. The Neptunes produced hip-hop duo Clipse's album, '' Exclusive Audio Footage'' (1999), which was intended to be Clipse's debut album before eventually being shelved. In 2000, the Neptunes produced

's single " I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" from his fifth studio album, '' The Dynasty: Roc La Familia'', and

Mystikal Michael Lawrence Tyler (born September 22, 1970), better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper and actor from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is noted for brash, obstreperous vocal delivery, characterized by a Southern rasp. He si ...

's " Shake Ya Ass", from his fourth studio album, '' Let's Get Ready''. In addition, The Neptunes produced Cuban Link's single "Still Telling Lies" from Cuban's 24K album. They also co-wrote the hook to "Play How You Want" featuring P!nk. In 2001, N.E.R.D. released their debut studio album, '' In Search of...'', featuring production from the Neptunes. In the same year, the Neptunes gained their first worldwide hit with

' single, " I'm a Slave 4 U", for her eponymous third studio album, '' Britney''. The Neptunes wrote and produced

NSYNC NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, ...

's final single, " Girlfriend", then wrote and produced most of co-lead singer

's debut solo album, '' Justified'' (2002), including lead singles " Like I Love You", " Rock Your Body", and "

Señorita Señorita or Senorita may refer to: Biology * Señorita banana, a banana cultivar from the Philippines * '' Oxyjulis'' (Spanish common name: ), a species of fish Film * ''Senorita'' (film), a 1927 American silent film * ''Señorita'', a 2011 fi ...

". In 2003, the Neptunes released a compilation album, '' Clones'', featuring songs and remixes from various Star Trak artists. The Neptunes won " Producer of the Year" at the 2004 Grammy Awards. In 2024, Hugo filed a legal action against Williams over the trademarks for the production duo's name. Williams subsequently confirmed the duo were no longer on speaking terms.

Discography

Compilation albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

The duo has received numerous awards, such as from the

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

, where they were nominated every year from 2004 to 2007. The Neptunes have received three Grammy Awards: Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, Best Pop Vocal Album for '' Justified'' and Best Rap Song for " Money Maker".

''Billboard'' R&B/Hip-Hop Awards

The ''Billboard'' R&B/Hip-Hop Awards are sponsored by ''

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Grammy Awards

The

are awarded annually by the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...

of the United States. , - , rowspan="6", , , The Neptunes , , Producer of the Year, Non-Classical , , , - , '' Justified'' , , Best Pop Vocal Album , , , - , " Frontin'" , , Best Rap/Sung Collaboration , , , - , rowspan="2", " Beautiful" , , Best Rap/Sung Collaboration , , , - , Best Rap Song , , , - , " Excuse Me Miss" , , Best Rap Song , , , - , rowspan="2", , , rowspan="2", " Drop It Like It's Hot" , , Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group , , , - , Best Rap Song , , , - , , , The Neptunes , , Producer of the Year, Non-Classical , , , - , 2006 , , '' The Emancipation of Mimi'' , , Best Contemporary R&B Album , , , - , rowspan="2", , , " Money Maker" , , Best Rap Song , , , - , '' In My Mind'' , , Best Rap Album , ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neptunes, The Record production duos American songwriting teams Record producers from Virginia Songwriters from Virginia Pharrell Williams American contemporary R&B musical groups American hip-hop duos American pop music duos Grammy Award winners Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 2024 Musical duos from Virginia American male musical duos