A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel drive vehicles are termed as SUV. Some SUVs include the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a minivan or large sedan. Since SUVs are considered light trucks and often share the same platform with pick-up trucks, they are regulated less strictly than passenger cars under the two laws in the United States, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act for fuel economy, and the Clean Air Act for emissions.

The term is not used in all countries, and outside North America the terms "off-road vehicle", "four-wheel drive" or "four-by-four" (abbreviated to "4WD" or "4x4") or simply use of the brand name to describe the vehicle like "Jeep" or "Land Rover" are more common. However, not all SUVs have four-wheel drive capabilities. Conversely, not all four-wheel-drive passenger vehicles are SUVs. Off-road vehicle is a broad class of vehicles, built primarily for off-road use. However, this distinction is often not made by the general public and the media. Although some SUVs have off-road capabilities, they often play only a secondary role, and SUVs often do not have the ability to switch among two-wheel and four-wheel-drive high gearing and four-wheel-drive low gearing. While auto makers tout an SUV's off-road prowess with advertising and naming, the daily use of SUVs is largely on paved roads and in urban areas.

Extremely popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the SUV's popularity has since declined due to high oil prices and a declining economy. The traditional truck-based SUV is gradually being supplanted by the crossover SUV, which uses an automobile platform for lighter weight and better fuel efficiency, as a response to much of the criticism of sport utility vehicles.

Designs

Although designs vary, SUVs have historically been mid-size passenger vehicles with a body-on-frame chassis similar to that found on light trucks. Early SUVs were mostly two door models, and were available with removable tops. However, with market and regulatory forces pushing the SUV market towards four doors, by 1999 all full-size two door SUVs were gone from the market. As of 2011, only the Jeep Wrangler remains as a two door SUV, although Jeep also offers a four door variant. Since the mid 90s, the two door SUV market was cannabalized by the four door SUV. Two door SUVs were mostly carry-over models, and they were not viewed as viable enough to redesign at the end of their design cycle. They generally were not promoted heavily during this time, leading to even hardcore off-roaders purchasing four door models. The 2-door SUV would return to impact for the 2010s with the release of the Range Rover Evoque and the Nissan Murano convertible, although both vehicles are still considered unibody.

Most SUVs are designed with an engine compartment, a combined passenger and cargo compartment, and no dedicated trunk such as in a station wagon body. Most mid-size and full-size SUVs have three rows of seats with a cargo area directly behind the last row of seats. Cargo barriers are often fitted to the cargo area to protect the vehicles occupants from injury from unsecured cargo in the event of sudden deceleration or collision.

SUVs are known for high ground clearance, upright, boxy body, and high H-point. This can make them more likely to roll over due to their high center of gravity. Bodies of SUVs have recently become more aerodynamic, but the sheer size and weight keeps their fuel economy poor.

History

Origins

Early SUVs were descendants from commercial and military vehicles such as the World War II Jeep and Land Rover. SUVs have been popular for many years with rural buyers due to their off-road capabilities.

The earliest examples of longer-wheelbase wagon-type SUVs were the Chevrolet Carryall Suburban (1935), GAZ-61 (1938), Willys Jeep Wagon (1948), Pobeda M-72 (GAZ-M20/1955), which Russian references credit as possibly being the first modern SUV, International Harvester Travelall (1953), Land Rover Series II 109 (1958), and the International Harvester Scout 80 (1961). These were followed by the more 'modern' Jeep Wagoneer (1963), International Harvester Scout II (1971), Ford Bronco (1966), Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-55 (1968), the Chevrolet Blazer / GMC Jimmy (1969), and the Land Rover Range Rover (1970). The actual term "sport utility vehicle" did not come into wide popular usage until the late 1980's (see below); many of these vehicles were marketed during their era as station wagons.

According to the transportation curator at the Henry Ford Museum, Robert Casey, the Jeep Cherokee (XJ) was the first true sport utility vehicle in the modern understanding of the term. Marketed to urban families as a substitute for a traditional car (and especially station wagons, which were still fairly popular at the time), the Chrerokee had four-wheel drive in a more manageable size (compared to the full-size Wagoneer), as well as a plush interior resembling a station wagon. With the introduction of more luxurious models and a much more powerful 4-liter engine, sales of the Cherokee increased even higher as the price of gasoline fell, and the term "sport utility vehicle" began to be used in the national press for the first time. "The advent and immediate success of AMC/Jeep's compact four-door Cherokee turned the truck industry upside down."

The corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard was ratified in the 1970s to regulate the fuel economy of passenger vehicles. Car manufacturers evaded the regulation by selling SUVs as work vehicles. The popularity of SUV increased among urban drivers in the last 25 years, and particularly in the last decade. Consequently, modern SUVs are available with luxury vehicle features, and some crossover models adopt lower ride heights to accommodate on-road driving.

Keith Bradsher explained the rise of the SUV with American Motors' (AMC) lobbying the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a waiver of the United States Clean Air Act. The EPA subsequently designated AMC's compact Cherokee as a "light truck", and the company marketed the vehicle to everyday drivers. AMC's effort to affect rulemaking changing the official definition of their new model then led to the SUV boom when other auto makers marketed their own models in response to the Cherokee taking sales from their regular cars.

Popularity

SUVs became popular in the United States, Canada, and Australia in the 1990s and early 2000s. U.S. automakers could enjoy profit margins of $10,000 per SUV, while losing a few hundred dollars on a compact car. For example, the Ford Excursion could net the company $18,000, while they could not break even with the Ford Focus unless the buyer chose options, leading Detroit's big three automakers to focus on SUVs over small cars.

Small cars were sold mainly to attract young buyers with inexpensive options and to increase their fleet average fuel economies to meet federal standards. The relatively high wages of unionized auto workers in the U.S. and Canada (members of the UAW and CAW, respectively), compared to the low wages of non-union workers at non-U.S. companies like Toyota, made it unprofitable for the U.S. auto makers to build small cars. For example, the General Motors factory in Arlington, Texas where rear-wheel drive cars were built, such as the Chevrolet Caprice, Buick Roadmaster, and Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham was converted to truck and SUV production, putting an end to full-size family station wagon and overall terminating production of rear-wheel drive full-size cars. Due to the shift in the Big Three's strategy, many long-running cars like the Ford Taurus, Buick Century and Pontiac Grand Prix fell behind their Japanese competitors in features and image (relying more on fleet sales instead of retail and/or heavy incentive discounts); some were discontinued.

Buyers were drawn to SUVs' large cabins, higher ride height, and perceived safety. Full-size SUVs often offered features such as three-row seating, to effectively replace full-size station wagons and minivans. Wagons were seen as old-fashioned. Additionally, full-size SUVs have greater towing capabilities than conventional cars, and can haul trailers, travel trailers (caravans) and boats. Increased ground clearance is useful in climates with heavy snowfall. The very low oil prices of the 1990s helped to keep down running costs. The SUV's image of utility may partly explain its popularity, not least among some women, who constitute more than half of all SUV drivers. SUV was one of the most popular choices of vehicle for female drivers in the U.S.

Social scientists have drawn on popular folklore such as urban legends to illustrate how marketers have been able to capitalize on the feelings of strength and security offered by SUVs. Popular tales include narratives where mothers save the family from armed robbery and other incidents by taking the automobile off road, for example.

In Australia, SUV sales were helped by the fact that SUVs had much lower import duty than passengers cars did, so that they cost less than similarly equipped imported sedans. However, this gap was gradually narrowed, and in January 2010 the import duty on cars was lowered to match the 5 percent duty on SUVs.

Sales of SUVs and other light trucks fell in the mid-2000s because of high oil prices and declining economy. In June 2008, General Motors announced plans to close four truck and SUV plants, including the Oshawa Truck Assembly. The company cited decreased sales of large vehicles in the wake of rising fuel prices. The business model of focusing on SUVs and light trucks, at the expense of more fuel-efficient compact and midsized cars, is blamed for declining sales and profits among Detroit's Big Three automakers since the mid-late 2000s. The Big Three were slower to adapt than their Japanese rivals in producing small cars to meet growing demand due to inflexible manufacturing facilities, which made it unprofitable to build small cars.

Use in remote areas

SUVs are often driven off-road in places such as farmland and countryside and in countries such as the Australian Outback, Africa, the Middle East, Alaska, northern Canada, western United States, Iceland, South America, and parts of Asia which have limited paved roads and require a vehicle to have all-terrain handling, increased range, and storage capacity. The scarcity of spare parts and the need to carry out repairs quickly resulted in the popularity of vehicles with the bare minimum of electric and hydraulic systems, such as the basic versions of the Land Rover, Jeep Wrangler, and Toyota Land Cruiser. SUVs for urban driving have traditionally been developed from their more rugged all-terrain counterparts. For example, the Hummer H1 was developed from the HMMWV, originally developed for the military of the United States.

As many SUV owners never used the off-road capabilities of their vehicle, newer SUVs (including crossovers) now have lower ground clearance and suspension designed primarily for paved roads.

SUVs are also chosen by some buyers as they have more interior space than sedans of similar sizes. In areas with gravel roads in summer and snow and ice in winter, four-wheel drives offer a safety advantage due to their traction advantages under these conditions.

The sport utility vehicles have also gained popularity in some areas of Mexico, specially where there is desert or in cities where drivers easily find potholes, detours, high water and rough roads. Their increasing use is also due to the fact that when traveling out of major populations, a high number of roads are dirt, washboard and mud in the rainy seasons.

Use in recreation and motorsport

Some highly modified SUVs, together with their more rugged off-road counterparts, are also used to explore places otherwise unreachable by other vehicles. In Australia, China, Europe, South Africa, South America and the United States at least, 4WD clubs have been formed for this purpose. Modified SUVs also take part in races, including the Paris-Dakar Rally, the Baja racing series, TREC events, King of the Hammers in California and the Australian Outback.

The Trophee Andros ice-racing series is another competition where SUVs participate as well.

Many 4x4 mud racing events and other activities take place throughout the US organized by clubs and associations. Some of them are the MN4WDA and the Stompers 4x4 Club.

A 4x4 driving adventure is offered in Bahrain where people can drive a Hummer in the Bahrain International Circuit's off-road 4x4 course. This course has been built in the desert landscape of Sakhir. The adventure comprises obstacles that are designed to test both the 325 bhp Hummer H2 and the 220 bhp Hummer H3. Among the obstacles are 80-degree slopes as well as water and rocks.

The sport utility vehicles are used in many different kinds of tours around the world to reach places otherwise the tourist would not be able to enjoy and no matter what the weather conditions are in those locations. Since these models feature an elevated level of comfort for driving long distances they are perfect for many tours otherwise would be impossible to design. In the Palm Desert, Palm Springs, California, for instance, there are tours to visit the San Andreas Fault in which the tourist can also enjoy the views of the rugged California desert landscape.

Some places may be reached by airplane, however, when driving, the experience may vary a great deal as the sightseeing experience broadens. Some tourists visiting Lhasa, for example, prefer to drive up the mountains on a SUV in order to have a closer look at the valleys, canyons, glaciers and landscape in general.

Desert safari tours in SUVs are the most popular excursion in the United Arab Emirates. This off-road Arabian adventure is described as a roller coaster drive. It is also known as dune bashing, meaning desert driving. Experienced drivers take the tourists to the sand dunes. This kind of 4x4 desert safari adventure is also available in the Merzouga Desert, Marrakesh; in the Kalahari Desert, Namibia; and in the Rajasthan Desert, India, just to mention some.

The 4x4 has also made it possible for tourists to explore Nordic adventures and to get to the less visited sights in Europe such as the Iceland interior. Exploring many of the wild sites in Iceland such as beaches, uninhabited highlands, volcanic craters, and glaciers with their terrain and climate conditions is only possible with a 4x4 vehicle, not with SUV's.

Luxury SUV

Numerous luxury vehicles in the form of SUVs and pickup trucks are being produced. Luxury SUV is principally a marketing term to sell fancier vehicles which may have higher performance, comfort, technology, or brand image. The term lacks both measurability and verifiability, and it is applied to a broad range of SUV sizes and types.

Nevertheless, the marketing category was created in 1966 with Kaiser Jeep's luxurious Super Wagoneer. It was the first SUV to offer a V8 engine, automatic transmission, and luxury car trim and equipment in a serious off-road model. It came with bucket seating, air conditioning, sun roof, and even a vinyl roof. Land Rover followed suit in 1970 by releasing the Range Rover. The trend continued with other competitors adding comfort features to their rudimentary and truck-based models.

The production of luxury models increased in the late 1990s as they generated higher profit margins than ordinary automobiles did. For some auto makers, luxury SUVs were the first SUV models they produced. Some of these models are not traditional SUVs based on light truck as they are classified as crossovers.

Luxury SUVs are proving to be popular in India where the road infrastructure is often poor even in big cities. The expensive luxury cars have low ground clearance which results in the scraping of the car in broken sections of roads and speed breakers. Models like the Audi Q7 and BMW X5 often sell more than the sibling models. Another example is the Volvo XC90, which has sold almost twice their other model offered in India, the S80.

The luxury SUV class encompasses both smaller 5 passenger SUVs and larger 7 passenger SUVs. All of them provide luxurious amenities and cutting edge technology. These features can be found not only in the inside of the cabin but also in the outside. People who look for a luxury vehicle that offers more cargo capacity than a sedan can prefer a luxury SUV class. This is also a vehicle aimed for those who prefer an SUV with a little more style.

Luxury SUVs typically offer the most expected safety features including side airbags, ABS and traction control, and many of them also come with electronic stability control, crash resistant door pillars, dynamic head restraints and back-up sensing systems.

The U.S. News and World Report Rankings and Reviews ranks premium midsize SUVs and crossovers based on an in-depth analysis by its editors of published auto ratings, reviews and test drives. Ranking is based on the score on performance, exterior, interior, safety, and reliability obtained by the vehicles. Currently the 2010 Acura MDX appears in the first place followed by the 2010 Lexus RX 350.

Other names

In Europe there is a difference in designation between 4x4 and an SUV. 4x4 is used to designate the vehicles that still have some serious off-road capability. SUV is used as a designation for the luxury and more road oriented ones, sometimes the term is also used as a pejorative. For example a Land Rover Defender will be defined as a 4x4 while a Toyota RAV4 will be called an SUV. However the distinction is not always made in the media or by environmentalists.

In countries such as the United Kingdom, the classification in the U.S. between cars and "light trucks" is not used, so SUVs are classified as cars, like almost all consumer motor vehicles. Popular terms include "Land Rover" and "Jeep" to describe the vehicle class, and not just a single manufacturer's product. This practice was actively discouraged by owners of the Jeep trademark, but this terminology is still in wide use, even in Germany and Nigeria for example, due to the pioneering and defining influence of these first products.

The term "Chelsea Tractor" became prominent in the United Kingdom around 2004 to describe vehicles such as Jeeps and Range Rovers used in urban areas such as Chelsea, London, where their four-wheel-drive capabilities are not required and the car is believed to be a status symbol rather than a necessity. The term "4X4" (four-by-four) is also common even for vehicles not used in urban areas, and "AWD" is not common in the UK.

In Australia and New Zealand, the term 'SUV' is not widely used, except by motoring organisations the press, and industry bodies. Passenger class vehicles designed for off-road use are known as 'four wheel drives', '4WDs', or '4X4s'. Some manufacturers do refer to their products as SUVs, but others invented names such as XUV, (see HSV Avalanche XUV or GMC Envoy XUV) or action utility vehicles (AUVs). The term 'AWD', or all wheel drive, is used for any vehicle which drives on all four wheels, but may not be designed for off-road use. 'Crossover' is a marketing term for a vehicle which is both four-wheel-drive and primarily a road car.

The pejorative term "Toorak Tractor" is used in Australia equivalently to "Chelsea Tractor" in the United Kingdom to describe vehicles such as Jeeps and Range Rovers used in wealthy urban areas with fine roads, fine dining and exclusive designer shopping such as around Toorak, Melbourne, with nearby Chapel Street not needing four-wheel-drive capabilities. In one episode of ''Top Gear Australia'', aired on SBS TV, the presenters drove a $200,000 tractor through Toorak Road.

In Finland the term "katumaasturi" is commonly used to designate SUVs. It roughly translates to street-off-roader, or street-4x4. This marks the difference with what is called "maasturi" which is a vehicle with definite off-road capability.

See also

Automotive market

Cargo barrier

Car classification

Compact SUV

Criticism of sport utility vehicles

Crossover SUV

Esuvee

Four-wheel drive

''High and Mighty (book)''

List of sport utility vehicles

Mini SUV

Off-road vehicle

RV

Station wagon

References

; Inline ; General

Gladwell, M. "Big and bad." (2004, January 12). ''The New Yorker'', LXXIX, 28–30. Retrieved on 2008–05–12.

Further reading

Keith Bradsher. ''High and Mighty: SUVs—The World's Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got That Way''. Published by PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-203-3.

Josh Lauer. "Driven to Extremes: Fear of Crime and the Rise of the Sport Utility Vehicle in the United States", ''Crime, Media, Culture'', vol. 1, no. 2 (2005), pp. 149–168.

Adam Penenberg. ''Tragic Indifference: One Man's Battle with the Auto Industry over the Dangers of SUVs''. Published by HarperBusiness. ISBN 0-06-009058-8.

External links

Category:Car body styles Category:Car classifications SUVs

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Coordinates	35°0′41.69″N135°46′5.47″N
name	Pharrell Williams
background	solo_singer
alias	Skateboard P, Pharrell (mononym)
born	April 05, 1973
origin	Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
instrument	Piano, Keyboards, Guitar,Drums
genre	Hip hop, pop, funk, rock, pop rap, R&B;, electro
occupation	Producer, Musician, Songwriter, Singer
years active	1994–present
label	Star Trak, Interscope
associated acts	Missile Command, Robin Thicke, Game, Snoop Dogg, The Neptunes, N.E.R.D, Justin Timberlake, Tyler, The Creator, OFWGKTA
website
notable instruments	Piano, Keyboards }}

Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973), commonly known simply by the mononym Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B; music. He is also the lead vocalist and drummer of funk/hip-hop band N.E.R.D, which he formed with Hugo and childhood friend Shay Haley. He released his debut single "Frontin'" in 2003 and followed up with his debut album ''In My Mind'' in 2006.

As part of The Neptunes, Williams has produced numerous hit singles for various music artists. The production duo have earned three Grammy Awards amongst ten nominations. He is also the co-founder of the clothing brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Clothing.

Early life

Pharrell Williams was born on April 5, 1973, on Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was born eldest of three sons of Carolyn, a teacher, and Williams, a handyman. He met Chad Hugo in a seventh grade summer band camp where Williams played the keyboards and drums and Hugo played tenor saxophone. They were also both members of a marching band; Williams played the snare drum while Chad took the role of student conductor. Along with Hugo, Williams attended Princess Anne High School where they played in the school band; that is where he got the name Skateboard P.

In the 1990s, Hugo and Williams formed a 4-piece "R&B; type" group along with friends Shay Haley and Mike Etheridge, which they named ''The Neptunes''. They later entered a high school talent show where they were discovered by Teddy Riley, whose studio was next to Princess Anne High School. After graduating from high school, they signed with Riley as a group.

Career

1992–2001: Career beginnings

Through working with Teddy Riley, Williams went on to write a verse for Wreckx-N-Effect's 1992 hit "Rump Shaker". That same year, he also performed a small rap solo on SWV's second hit, "Right Here (UK Remix)". In 1994, Hugo and Williams had established themselves formally as a production duo under the previously used name "The Neptunes", and produced "Tonight's The Night" from Blackstreet's self-titled debut. Over the next three years they continued to produce occasionally. Some of the production had little resemblance to the trademark Neptunes sound present today. However, some like Mase's 1997 song "Lookin' At Me" from his album ''Harlem World'', and the most definite beginning of the so-called distinctive "Neptunes sound", came with N.O.R.E.'s "Superthug" in 1998, reaching number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, and gaining them widespread attention for the first time. In 1999, the duo then worked heavily with Kelis, producing her first album ''Kaleidoscope''

2001–2004: ''In Search Of...'', Clipse and ''Fly or Die''

In 2001, The Neptunes produced Britney Spears' single, "I'm a Slave 4 U" gaining their first worldwide number one. The same year, N.E.R.D, consisting of Williams, Hugo and Haley, released their first album, ''In Search Of...'', in Europe, where the first Kelis album was better received. The album sounded very much like their previous production work; the group decided that they should make their work as N.E.R.D sound different, and re-recorded the album, with the rock band Spymob. Williams and Hugo met rap duo Clipse in Virginia Beach in 1993, where they were signed to Arista Records through Williams' Star Trak Entertainment imprint.

Then in 2002 their re-produced album was released worldwide, and The Neptunes reached number one in the U.S. with Nelly's single, "Hot in Herre". In August of the same year, The Neptunes were named "Producers of the Year" at both The Source Awards and the Billboard Music Awards. Clipse released their commercial debut album, ''Lord Willin''' in August 2002. The album opened at number one on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number four on the ''Billboard'' 200, fueled by the strength of its first two singles, "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time", which peaked at number 34 and number 19 respectively on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

The Neptunes released a self-credited album called ''The Neptunes Present... Clones'' in 2003, featuring songs and remixes from various artists. This album topped the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 Albums Chart. The Neptunes and Williams specifically were also kept in public eye largely due to ties with Jay-Z, producing several hit singles for him and landing two tracks on his album ''The Black Album''. The track "Frontin'" was a big hit (the 34th biggest single of 2003 according to ''Billboard'' magazine). A survey in August 2003 found the Neptunes produced almost 20 percent of songs played on British radio at the time, a survey in the US had them at 43 percent. The same year, The Neptunes remixed the Daft Punk song ''Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger'' for the duo's poorly-received remix album ''Daft Club''. The track also featured a brief rap section performed by Williams.

N.E.R.D's second funk rock-oriented album, ''Fly or Die'', released in March 2004. Williams' rock credentials were further bolstered by his appearance at the 2004 Grammy Awards, performing The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" on drums along with Sting, Dave Matthews, and Vince Gill. Williams went home with two Grammy Awards that night, one for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, and another for Best Pop Vocal Album for his work on Justin Timberlake's hit album ''Justified''. They also gained their first UK number one, again with Nelly, and ''Flap Your Wings''.

2005–present: Debut album and collaborations

On September 9, 2005, Williams performed the opening single from his debut solo album ''In My Mind'', "Can I Have It Like That", featuring Gwen Stefani. The single did poorly in the US, reaching only number 48. It fared better in the UK, reaching number three. Between then and the July 25, 2006 release of "In My Mind", he released "Angel" (in Europe only), and later "Number One" with Kanye West. Several songs leaked to the internet before the album release, most notably "Mamacita" featuring Daddy Yankee, which was subsequently cut from the final version. "That Girl" featuring Snoop Dogg was the final single.

In 2006, Williams, along with Chad Hugo, produced Clipse's second album ''Hell Hath No Fury''. Most critics labeled the album to be Williams's best production in years, and put the Virginia rap duo back in the charts.

On May 16, 2007, for seven days only, the first of two expected collaborations with Madonna, entitled "Hey You", was made available for free download from the MSN website. MSN, in conjunction with Madonna, donated 25 cents for each of the first one million downloads to the Alliance for Climate Protection, in support of Live Earth. Later that year, Williams performed songs at the Concert for Diana on July 1, 2007. Then, on July 7, 2007, he performed at the Brazilian leg of Live Earth in Rio de Janeiro.

A second album, entitled ''Out of My Mind'', was recorded with his newly formed band "The Yessirs" featuring Questlove of The Roots. However, Williams' record label did not think that a companion album to the first would sell well. He also produced Beyoncé's rendition of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend". He then wrote and produced "Why Should I Be Sad" on Britney Spears' fifth studio album, ''Blackout''. He also produced two songs from The Hives album, ''The Black and White Album'', titled "Well All Right!" and "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.".

In April 2008, Madonna released her eleventh album, ''Hard Candy'', which featured vocals from Williams and production from The Neptunes on several tracks. Later in June, an article in NME revealed that Williams is very interested in producing The Strokes' fourth album. Williams, along with other musicians, is to work on a remix album for Maroon 5's ''Call & Response''.

Pharrell worked with Colombian artist Shakira on the songs 'Did It Again', 'Why Wait', 'Good Stuff' and 'Long Time' for her sixth studio album, ''She Wolf''. The album was released in October 2009.

It has been revealed that Williams will collaborate with Lindsay Lohan on her upcoming third studio album ''Spirit in the Dark''. He will also provide guest vocals on the album's first single, "Playground".

In September 2009, it was announced that Williams co-wrote and produced a song titled "Fresh Out the Oven" for Jennifer Lopez. The song was released as a buzz single from Lopez's upcoming seventh studio album ''Love?'', which is due for release in the Summer of 2010.

In October 2009, it was announced that he would make a guest appearance on French indie/electronic rapper Uffie's debut album, due out in early 2010.

He has also worked with rapper Snoop Dogg and singer Brandy on the song "Special" in Snoop Dogg's album Malice 'n' Wonderland.

Pharrell has been featured on an unofficial remix/mash-up of "Arab Money" featuring Busta Rhymes.

Pharrell and Kid Cudi collaborated on an untitled song for Kid Cudi's second studio album ''Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr.Rager''. Cudi described the song as a "club hit".

In late 2009, Pharrell also started working with the multi-Platinum recording artist Game (previously known as The Game) for his fourth studio album known as The R.E.D. Album, Pharrell returned to work with US singer Justin Timberlake, whom he hadn't worked with for nearly 8 years after he was a producer on Timberlake's debut solo album Justified.

In July 2010, Pharrell Williams composed one of the soundtracks in the movie Despicable Me at the Hollywood Studio Symphony.

Pharrell collaborated with Swedish house music group the Swedish House Mafia, on the song "One" from their debut album Until One. The released song featuring Pharrell's vocals was renamed "One (Your Name)."

Pharrell & his group N.E.R.D supported Gorillaz on their Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour. On the tour, Damon Albarn used his iPad to record and compose the Gorillaz album ''The Fall''. Pharrell recorded a track with Albarn, but this track did not appear on ''The Fall''; it may appear on a future album.

He will be featured on Gucci Mane's second album "The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted* on a track called Haterade alongside "Nicki Minaj".

He will also be featured on Swizz Beatz upcoming album "Haute Living".

On August 1st 2011, Pharrell announced his new label, i am Other.

Musical style

Williams often sings in a falsetto, which he utilizes during the hook of a song. Critics often say that Williams has the inability to rap or sing well, but point out that his singing is better than his rapping. Alasdair Lees of ''The Independent'' felt that Williams "strives for the Prince effect", but sounds like Bobby Valentino "on work experience". Anthony Henriques of PopMatters noted that Williams is not a "technically gifted rapper", "does not have a beautiful voice" and his lyrics are "typically inconsequential in a "saying shit just to sound cool' sort of way", but found strengths in his choruses, which he pointed out "typically use a catchy phrase or recognizable melody as an anchor for his nonsensical verses".

Pharrell also did music for the Dreamworks film Despicable Me. The film makers liked his genre of music for the movie. Williams has encompassed a broad range of genres, including hip hop, R&B;, pop, rock, and funk. His lyrics often pertain to his childhood, family, religious faith and sexuality. In the album review for ''Seeing Sounds'' by N.E.R.D, Christian Hoard of ''Rolling Stone'' felt he learned nothing from his lyrics except that Williams was sexually aroused.

Williams has stated that he does not have any direct influences, but has expressed his admiration of several recording artists, including Michael Jackson, J Dilla, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Rakim and Q-Tip. Williams described A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 album, ''People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm'', as a "turning point" in his life, which "made me see that music was art".

Ventures

Williams met Nigo, a Japanese record producer and creator of the clothing line A Bathing Ape, in Japan and bonded through similar interests, where they began working together on their fashion lines. Williams later co-founded the clothing brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Footwear. He has a store in New York City. In 2008, Williams co-designed a series of glasses and jewelry for Louis Vuitton. The jewelry line is called Blason. He has also worked on furniture with Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin and a French manufacturer, Domeau & Pérès. One of his works, a molded plastic seat with human legs, was created because he "wanted to know what it was like to be in love." The chair depicts a sexual scene with a pair of female legs and male legs.

Pharrell recorded four songs for the computer animated film ''Despicable Me''. Some of the songs are used in the trailers, and are also in the movie.

In 2011 Pharrell designed and released a cream liqueur named QREAM. The "Q" stands for "Queen" and the liqueur comes in two different flavors; strawberry and peach. An opportunity comes when Pharrell was approached by Diageo to collaborate, in which Pharrell proceeded to make his own research and found that the female audience were being neglected, thus substantiate his idea to make a cream liqueur for women. He mentioned the taste being an ambient of an ice cream, but the liqueur itself contains less calories compared to a wine.

Personal life

In 2005 Williams was voted "Best Dressed Man in the World" by ''Esquire'' magazine. He is a fan of the science fiction series ''Star Trek'', as indicated by his consistent use of the Vulcan salute to signify his label name, Star Trak. He also enjoys the works of the late astronomer and science lecturer Carl Sagan, whom he calls "a genius". Williams is a skateboarder and has a half-pipe inside his home. In April 2009, Williams underwent a skin procedure to have most of his tattoos removed.

Discography

''In My Mind'' (2006)

'' Back to the Future'' (2011)

Awards and nominations

{|class="wikitable" |- | colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|Grammy Awards |- !Year !Category !Genre !Title !Result |- |rowspan=6|2004 |Producer of the Year (with Chad Hugo) |N/A |— | |- |Best Pop Vocal Album |Pop |''Justified'' | |- |Best Rap/Sung Collaboration |Rap |"Frontin'" (with Jay-Z) | |- |Best Rap/Sung Collaboration |Rap |"Beautiful" (with Snoop Dogg) featuring Terrence Campbell | |- |Best Rap Song |Rap |"Beautiful" (with Snoop Dogg) | |- |Best Rap Song |Rap |"Excuse Me Miss" (with Jay-Z) | |- |rowspan="2"|2005 |Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group |Rap |"Drop It Like It's Hot" (with Snoop Dogg) | |- |Best Rap Song |Rap |"Drop It Like It's Hot" (with Snoop Dogg) | |- |rowspan=2|2007 |Best Rap Song |Rap |"Money Maker" (with Ludacris) | |- |Best Rap Album |Rap |''In My Mind'' | |}

References

External links

Official website

Category:1973 births Category:African American rappers Category:African American rock musicians Category:American alternative rock musicians Category:American fashion designers Category:American funk musicians Category:American hip hop musicians Category:American record producers Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:American rock musicians Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:N.E.R.D members Category:People from Virginia Beach, Virginia Category:Rappers from Virginia Category:The Neptunes members

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