Credit: Frank Schwichtenberg

Pharrell is one of the most diverse musicians of the last 30 years. While on one hand, he’s responsible for pop hits like ‘Happy’, he’s also behind some of the grimiest Clipse beats, and music that was among the most exciting rock sounds of the early 2000s.

In the ’90s, Skateboard P formed N.E.R.D. alongside Chad Hugo and Shay Haley as a side project of The Neptunes. The trio have released five genre-bending albums, including 2001’s In Search Of and 2004’s Fly or Die, which have been instrumental in inspiring some of today’s biggest artists, such as Tyler, The Creator.

While Pharrell was a fan of rappers like Rakim and the legendary A Tribe Called Quest, he was clearly influenced by artists of all genres. He grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Queen, and is a notable fans of Yes’ ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’, which he used to watch on MTV channels.

When he was around 12 or 13, Pharrell came across Bon Jovi, which was a big moment for him. He also considers Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose as one of the most important figures in popular music. “I started hearing ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’, all that shit,” P told Rolling Stone. “Good music is good music. I still think Axl Rose is one of the biggest rock stars we’ve ever seen. I would love to sign that guy and put him on the road as a dope-ass acoustic act. Who’s that kid who sang, ‘I’m a cowboy/ On a steel horse I ride’?”

When told it was Jovi, he said, “That kid is sick! He’s still sick. Companies don’t think that’s still relevant, but kids are dying for it. In the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, there was colourful rock and roll. Think about Steppenwolf, ‘The Pusher.’ That’s rock and roll. If I can beatbox it, and you can feel it, you know the original composition must be bestial.”

He also named Linkin Park, Staind, and Puddle of Mudd as his favourite bands. “Everybody else is doing one-dimensional stuff, except The Strokes and The White Stripes,” he proclaimed. “I love the White Stripes’ sense of rebelliousness. So inventive.”

As well as singing and rapping, Pharrell is a skilled musician as a drummer, guitarist, keyboardist, and percussionist. He first learned to play drums in school after his grandmother pushed him to play an instrument. This led to playing in his high school band, Fabulous Marching Cavaliers, before putting his focus into production with his longtime production partner, Hugo.

Tyler, The Creator has credited Pharrell’s group as pushing rock music forward. Speaking on Fly or Die, he once stated, “At the time, I’ve never heard what I considered ‘rock’ music use melodies and chords typically for ‘soul’ and ‘jazz,’ so I was drawn in ’cause there was a slice of familiarity.” For Tyler, it was a game-changer of a project, and in turn helped shaped the sound of modern music, without even attempting to do so.