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| "Frontin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byPharrell Williams featuringJay-Z | ||||
| from the albumThe Neptunes Present... Clones | ||||
| Released | June 3, 2003 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:01 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | The Neptunes | |||
| Pharrell Williams singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Jay-Z singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Frontin'" onYouTube | ||||
"Frontin'" is the debut single by American musicianPharrell Williams featuring American rapperJay-Z. It was written by the artists alongsideChad Hugo, who produced it with Williams asthe Neptunes. At the time of its release, 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 (orfalse front), typically to impress peers. The drum beat was heavily influenced bythe Beatles' 1965 track "In My Life", and the bass during the bridge byStevie Wonder. Pharrell had initially written the song forPrince.[3] It was the 34th best-selling song of 2003 in the U.S., according toBillboard magazine. It was also featured on the Neptunes' 2003 compilation albumThe Neptunes Present... Clones, which debuted at number one on theBillboard 200 in August 2003. In 2024, the song appeared on Williams' soundtrack albumPiece by Piece (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
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The music video was filmed inMiami, Florida. Two women approach a mansion, which is throwing a large party. The women knock on the door to attend the party, and one of the women (actressLauren London), asks for Pharrell. The security guard at the door "doesn't know who they are talking about", and will not let them inside. The other girl, who is her friend (The Price Is Right game show modelLaNisha Cole), tells the security guard "Neptunes Presents Clones", and they are allowed into the party. Once the girls are inside, Pharrell is immediately smitten towards both women throughout the video, and scenes of the party guests having fun are shown, with Jay-Z also in attendance.[4]
"Frontin'" peaked at number five on theBillboard Hot 100. It also peaked at number one on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In the UK, the song also charted inside the top 10, peaking at number six in theUK 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" withRobin Thicke andT.I.).[citation needed]
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 28 |
| Australian Urban (ARIA)[6] | 11 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[7] | 33 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[8] | 6 |
| Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[9] | 15 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[10] | 12 |
| Germany (GfK)[11] | 61 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[12] | 16 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[13] | 24 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 21 |
| Scotland Singles (OCC)[15] | 10 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16] | 49 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] | 23 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[18] | 6 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[19] | 2 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[20] | 5 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[21] | 1 |
| USPop Airplay (Billboard)[22] | 29 |
| USRhythmic Airplay (Billboard)[23] | 6 |
| Chart (2003) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[24] | 87 |
| UK Urban (Music Week)[25] | 4 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[26] | 34 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[27] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[28] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
On February 11, 2004, the track was covered by Britishneo-jazz artistJamie Cullum forBBC Radio 1'sLive Lounge. Williams was very impressed by the cover after it was played to him on a visit to the show, and this led to Cullum providing backup vocals for "You Can Do It Too", a track on Pharrell's first solo albumIn My Mind. The cover appeared as a bonus track on the US release of Cullum's albumTwentysomething. Cullum's version was released as a single and reached number 12 in the UK.[citation needed]
"Frontin'" was also covered live byMaroon 5, featuringChad Hugo and rapperMos Def, who replaced Jay-Z's verse withimpromptu rapping fromA Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum", in an apparent reference to similarities between parts of the tracks.[citation needed]New Orleans nativeTrombone Shorty and his band and Orleans Avenue covered the song on their 2005 debut album,Orleans & Claiborne.[29] During the 2012 International Yardfest atHoward University, American singerLeah LaBelle performed her 2012 single "Sexify" as part of a medley with "Frontin'".[30] In 2014,UK garage groupDisclosure remixed the song.[31]
American rapperGoldLink also performed a live cover of the song onLike a Version.
