"Frontin'" | |||||||||||||
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Single by Pharrell Williams featuring Jay Z | |||||||||||||
from the album The Neptunes Present... Clones | |||||||||||||
Released | June 3, 2003 | ||||||||||||
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Recorded | December 2002 | ||||||||||||
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Length | 4:01 | ||||||||||||
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Producer(s) | The Neptunes | ||||||||||||
Pharrell Williams singles chronology | |||||||||||||
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"Frontin'" is the debut solo single by American singer Pharrell Williams. It features the vocals from American rapper Jay Z. It was written by Williams and produced by The Neptunes. At the time, Williams insisted the single was a one-off, and that he was purely a producer and not an artist in his own right. However, he released his own solo studio album, In My Mind, in 2006.
The song's title refers to putting up a facade (or false 'front'), typically to impress peers. It was the 34th best-selling song of 2003 in the U.S., according to Billboard magazine. It was also featured on The Neptunes' 2003 compilation album The Neptunes Present... Clones, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in August 2003.
"Frontin'" peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In the UK, the song also charted inside the top 10, peaking at number six in the UK Singles Chart and spending 10 weeks within the top 75. It was Pharrell's biggest solo hit until 2013's "Happy" (his biggest hit as a collaboration being "Blurred Lines" with Robin Thicke and T.I.).
The lead girls in the video are Lanisha Cole, Mimi Faust and Lauren London. It is has cameo appearances from Lenny Kravitz, Pusha T, Chad Hugo from N.E.R.D and The Neptunes