By Roman Soto
Have you ever pressed shuffle on your playlist, and the repetitive nature of the unchanging musical genre plays continuously on your listening device? Well, my fellow music lovers, you’ve just stumbled upon a place to expand your musical taste. Welcome to Roman’s Empire, your new favorite music column. My job here is to persuade you to add the suggested artist to your playlist. Here, we delve into some of music’s most captivating artists from all over the world. It’s simple: find a comfortable chair and prepare for the expansion of your musical knowledge. Today, we dive into the brilliant elements that frame The Neptunes’ dazzling portrait.
In the last issue, we discussed Madvillain, the side project of underground hip-hop producers MF Doom and Madlib. With Doom’s wordplay and Madlib’s unique sampling technique, the duo produced what is widely considered the most excellent underground hip-hop album of all time: Madvillainy.
Most of the music I write about for this column involves knowledge of the artist amassed over months or even years of listening; however, The Neptunes represent a group that I recently discovered (as recently as January) through a friend’s recommendation. While I like to keep my articles personally authentic, I couldn’t help but share this duo’s awesomeness.
In 1991, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo met in a band camp as teenagers. The two entered a local talent show and famously caught the attention of legendary producer Teddy Riley. In that same talent show, Hugo and Williams competed against later successful artists such as Timbaland, Missy Elliot, and Magoo (Pharrell even produced Elliot’s hit song “WTF”). In his Lego documentary, Williams describes, “This place was magical. You just witnessed music bouncing off the walls.” Williams and Hugo’s hometown of Virginia Beach was the hub for nurturing some of the most remarkable musical talents of the 21st century. One year later, the two producers officially joined forces in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to create music under the name The Neptunes.
You may have heard of Pharrell Williams, a renowned producer who was likely behind the creation of your favorite hip-hop or R&B song. Williams has explored the finest parts of the American music industry, from productions with more recently popular artists such as Frank Ocean and Daniel Caesar to old-school hip-hop artists like Snoop Dogg or Kanye West. While Pharrell, often the face of the music duo, pursued a solo career later, Chad Hugo remained discreetly hidden behind The Neptunes’ success.
Below are some of their greatest works
- “Hot in Herre” by Nelly
- “Rock your Body”
- “I Just Wanna Love U” by JAY-Z
- “Milkshake” by Kelis
- “Beautiful” by Snoop Dogg
- “She Wants to Move” by N.E.R.D
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