Much like Jack White doesn't trust anyone who doesn't like Led Zeppelin, I don't trust anyone who doesn't like Pharrell.
To me, he's modern music's superman and has been for quite some time. This past year has been his most fruitful, earning him a whopping seven Grammy award nominations and catipulting him to new levels of fame, but what you may not realize is that he's been churning out hits since 2001.
It all began as one half of The Neptunes, where Pharrell spent the early 2000's producing game-changing albums for Britney Spears, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg, and Nelly — and that's just to name a few. During that time, he also formed N.E.R.D, a band that much like his production work, spanned a multitude of genres — including hip-hop, rock, and funk —and put on one hell of a good live show (if I do say so myself).
More recently, he composed the soundtracks for Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2, collaborated with Daft Punk on album of the year Random Access Memories, and had his hand in two of the biggest songs of 2013: "Blurred Lines" and "Get Lucky." His new album G I R L, and its smash single "Happy," are just the latest offerings that prove he's truly one of the most resilient artists of our time.
Narrowing down Pharrell's best tracks is a tricky business, but I've chosen 30 songs that not only represent his deep-rooted body of work, but just as importantly, get the party started — because that's what Pharrell does best
Listen below and be sure to subscribe to the Marie Claire Spotify profile for our weekly playlists.
CREDIT: Pharrell x Uniqlo I Am Other Graphic T-Shirt, $19.90; uniqlo.com.
