in search of... PHARRELL WILLIAMS Meet the man Britney and Justin call when they want a sure-fire chartbuster. Looking at the dark circles under Pharrell's sexy almond eyes today, you firmly believe him when he says he's "always" working and he's "addicted" to making beats. This is a man with four alter egos. Pharrell: one half of the 21st century's biggest ever production outfit, The Neptunes. Pharrell: co-owner of Star Track Entertainment (Kelis, Clipse). Pharrell: pilot of pioneering rock group N*E*R*D. Pharrell: successful artist and celebrity in his own right. So we'll let him off when he steals a sneaky yawn. Or when we catch him distracted by fine ladies, gracing pages of countless magazines- all spread across his plush hotel-room floor. This is Pharrell Williams after all people. When's the last time you just chilled? "My birthday. I was still trying to do work, but I took the day off. I worked on New Year's Eve too." Don't you ever just wanna turn off your phone, leave the studio and head to the beach to escape? "I can't, 'cause all those moments are when something can be recorded. I'm sort of addicted." Have you always been a workaholic? "No. I've been lazy all my life, but when I started working I just wanted more and more and more. When I was like fifteen or sixteen I got jobs at McDonalds [bursts into laughter]. F**king them chicken and eggs up! I got fired three times from three different McDonalds 'cause it just wasn't me. The music was always up front man. When I finally got discovered I didn't make no money for a few years, but it was fun. I just did it for the love. I was dead broke. Now I can't complain, but it's still for the love of music." You seriously love being immersed in music 24/7? "Music [pauses], well God first and foremost, but music- everything you put into music you get back. You can't depend on people." Sounds like you've had a hard time... [Silence] We heard you flew Alesha from Mis-Teeq over to star in the new N*E*R*D video... "I had no idea who she was." Really? Did you know she's engaged to So Solid's Harvey? [Smiles] "I heard that." So you know who So Solid are then? "Yeah, yeah they cool." Interesting. So do you know much about British MCs? [Breaks into an uncannily good impression of a bad- and bad meaning not good- garage MC] "Gimme somma that yeah! Gimme somma that yeah! Yeah, yeah blood!" You've established quite a reputation as a ladies' man. So who's the ultimate female sex symbol? "There's different ones and there's different styles, but I think Thandie Newton from Mission Impossible...some dude got her though. That's like the ideal style right there. And Charlize Theron." What star sign are you? "An Aries. I'm really good at guessing signs. You're an Aquarian, right?" Err, no. "Virgo?" Umm, no. Tell us about the new N*E*R*D album, 'Fly or Die'... "Over here you guys have countries rather than states. Well you could definitely drive to the next country listening to this album and not even realise how fast you got there. I'm very happy and proud of it." How come the band Spymob- the guys you used on 'In Search of...'- aren't on this album? "Me and Chad play all the instruments live. Actually last time we had already written and produced the entire album and got Spymob in to redo it- to get that live sound. This time round we wanted to do it ourselves. They will still be touring with us though." You brought out your own N*E*R*D trainer, or should we say 'sneaker', for the launch of 'In Search of'... "Yeah, they were cool." All the money you made from the sales went to a children's book charity. Do you often donate money like that? "I've done it in different ways. What I'm trying to do this year- I don't really wanna discuss it in full- but I wanna go into partnership with a major computer company and build some computer shelters. The first one would probably be near the project that I grew up in when I was very young." Any other trainer/sneaker projects on the go? "I'm bringing out my own sneakers in conjunction with Reebok, they're called 'Ice Cream'." What will they look like? "Let's just say they're the perfect cross between a skater and a casual sneaker. That's all your getting. You'll have to wait and see..." Tred browsed the internet (being the N*E*R*Ds that we are) and discovered that Pharrell is also bringing out a new men's clothing line called the 'Billionaire's Boys Club'. Both the 'Billionaire's Boys Club' and 'Ice Cream' collections will be created in collaboration with hot global designer, Nigo (best known for his 'A Bathing Ape' clothing line). According to the press release, the 'Billionaire's Boys Club' apparel will include, among other 'athletic lifestyle looks', jeans and button-down shirts. The 'Ice Cream' footwear collection will take inspiration from urban culture as well as alternative sports such as skateboarding. That's the low-down on the threads, but if you wanna know more about the N*E*R*D album, you'd better go buy it. Trust us, you won't be disappointed... The Label Game. Who else rocks their own hip hop clothing line? Eve: 'Fetish' The "Pit Bull in a skirt" has brought out a 'Fetish' clothing line. While the name conjures up images of leather catsuits, whips and chains, Eve's signature apparel is actually a "line of urban sophisticated clothes for juniors and women." According to the blurb. In English? Active, denim and fashion wear, with some spangly accessories. Eve's chuffed: "I'm able to express my creativity and love of fashion, and hopefully inspire others to follow their dreams." O-kaay. Give the Ruff Ryder big props though for teaming up with YouthAIDS. They created a special edition 'Fetish' t-shirt to help fund, and raise awareness to, the charity. 50 Cent: 'G-Unit' The NYC rapper teamed up with established designer Marc Ecko last year to produce his new G-Unit Clothing line. The gimmick goes that everything has a $0.50 price point. For instance a pair of jeans might cost $49.50. Currently only a men's clothing line is available (think neat, crisp, baggy designs), but there are future plans for children's wear, woman's wear, G-Unit watches and leather goods. 50's fans can rock his apparel from head to toe. "My Reebok G-Unit sneaker blew out of the stores just like I hoped it would," said the modest nine-bullet taker. But will he be making his own bulletproof vest? DMX- 'Boomer 129' Not only did the canine-loving rapper appear onstage at last year's MTV Video Awards with his Pit Bull, he also designed the camouflage coat the pup was wearing. The New York Post reports that DMX has launched a line of pooch wear called 'Boomer 129', which pays homage to his favourite dawg, Boomer- who was run over years ago. Aaaah. DMX also has a tattoo of a Pit Bull across his back, with the line: "One Love Boomer." Even the opening line to his 'Grand Champ' album goes: "Yeah I love animals better than people sometimes, especially dogs..." Pharrell in 5 Minutes... January 2000: The Neptunes-produced 'Caught Out There' by Kelis stays in the UK top 5 for six weeks. November 2001: The Neptunes-produced Britney Spears single, 'I'm a Slave 4 U' repeats the feat- staying in the UK top 5 for six weeks. July 2002: N*E*R*D release debut album 'In Search Of...' October 2002: The Neptunes-produced Justin Timberlake single 'Like I Love You' charts at number 2. November 2002: Pharrell meets Jade Jagger at MTV Awards in Barcelona. A hot and steamy relationship quickly erupts. January 2003: The reported going price for a Neptunes-produced track is $150,000. March 2003: Jade Jagger reportedly dumps Pharrell for being a womaniser. This came just after Pharrell claimed Jagger "wore me right out" with her sexual demands. A busy month, Pharrell also features on and co-produces Snoop Dogg's massive hit 'Beautiful'. Summer 2003: 'The Neptunes Presents... The Clones' sells over 250,000 in its first week. September 2003: The Neptunes produced Nelly single 'Hot in Here' hits No. 1 in the US. Winter 2003: Pharrell releases first solo single 'Frontin' feat. Jay-Z. December 2003: Mr Williams is nominated for a staggering six Grammy Awards. February 2004: The Neptunes win the coveted 'Producers Of The Year' Grammy. March 2004: N*E*R*D's 'Fly or Die' album is released. Words by Elle J Small