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Frontin'

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For the song by Chamillionaire, seeThe Sound of Revenge.
"Frontin'"
SinglebyPharrell WilliamsfeaturingJay-Z
from the albumThe Neptunes Present... Clones
ReleasedJune 3, 2003
RecordedMarch 2003
GenreHip hop[1]
Length4:01
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)The Neptunes
Pharrell Williamssingles chronology
"Belly Dancer"
(2002) 		"Frontin'"
(2003) 		"Light Your Ass on Fire"
(2003)
Jay-Zsingles chronology
"La-La-La"
(2003) 		"Frontin'"
(2003) 		"Change Clothes"
(2003)
Music video
"Frontin'"onYouTube

"Frontin'"is the debut single by American singer-songwriterPharrell Williamsfeaturing 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 (or false 'front'), typically to impress peers. It was the 34th best-selling song of 2003 in the U.S., according toBillboardmagazine. It was also featured on The Neptunes' 2003 compilation albumThe Neptunes Present... Clones,which debuted at number one on theBillboard200in August 2003.

The drum beat was heavily influenced by the Beatles 1965 track "In My Life",and the bass during the bridge byStevie Wonder.Pharrell had initially written the song forPrince.[2]

In 2024, the song appeared on Williams' soundtrack albumPiece by Piece (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).

Music video

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The music video was filmed inMiami, Florida.[3]The video features a 19-year oldLauren Londonas Pharrell's love interest.[3]

Chart performance

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"Frontin'"peaked at number five on theBillboardHot 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 Chartand 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 ThickeandT.I.).[citation needed]

Track listing

[edit]
  • UK CD single
  1. "Frontin'"(featuringJay-Z)(radio edit)
  2. "Hot Damn"(featuring Ab Liva)
  3. "Popular Thug"(KelisfeaturingNas)
  4. "Frontin'"(video)

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2003) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4] 28
Australian Urban (ARIA)[5] 11
Belgium (Ultratop 50Wallonia)[6] 33
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling UnderFlanders)[7] 6
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[8] 15
Denmark (Tracklisten)[9] 12
Germany (GfK)[10] 61
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 16
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 24
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 21
Scotland(OCC)[14] 10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 49
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 23
UK Singles(OCC)[17] 6
UK Hip Hop/R&B(OCC)[18] 2
USBillboardHot 100[19] 5
USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs(Billboard)[20] 1
USPop Airplay(Billboard)[21] 29
USRhythmic(Billboard)[22] 6

Year-end charts

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Chart (2003) Position
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 87
UK Urban (Music Week)[24] 4
USBillboardHot 100[25] 34

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Gold 400,000‡

‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Jamie Cullum version

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On February 11, 2004, the track was covered by British neo-jazz artistJamie CullumforBBC 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]

Other versions

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"Frontin'"was also covered live byMaroon 5,featuringChad Hugoand rapperMos Def,who replaced Jay-Z's verse with impromptu rapping fromA Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum",in an apparent reference to similarities between parts of the tracks.[citation needed]New OrleansnativeTrombone Shortyand his band and Orleans Avenue cover the song on their 2005 debut album,Orleans & Claiborne.[27]During the 2012 International Yardfest atHoward University,American singerLeah LaBelleperformed her 2012 single "Sexify"as part of a medley with" Frontin'".[28]In 2014,UK garagegroupDisclosureremixed the song.[29]

American rapperGoldlinkalso performed a live cover of the song onLike a Version.

References

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  1. ^Molanphy, Chris (May 21, 2022)."Flip It and Reverse It Edition".Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia(Podcast).Slate.RetrievedMarch 25,2024.
  2. ^"Stay Curious: Pharrell Williams Interviewed".Clash Music.July 9, 2018.RetrievedMarch 24,2022.
  3. ^ab"HER SOURCE EXCLUSIVE: LAUREN LONDON & JENIFER LEWIS TALK 'BAGGAGE CLAIM'".The Source.September 19, 2013.RetrievedMay 15,2021.
  4. ^"Pharrell Williams feat. Jay-Z – Frontin' ".ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  5. ^"Issue 705 "ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles.National Library of Australia. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  6. ^"Pharrell Williams feat. Jay-Z – Frontin' "(in French).Ultratop 50.
  7. ^"Pharrell Williams feat. Jay-Z – Frontin' "(in Dutch).Ultratip.
  8. ^"Pharrell Williams Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)".Billboard.RetrievedMarch 14,2023.
  9. ^"Pharrell Williams feat. Jay-Z – Frontin' ".Tracklisten.
  10. ^"Pharrell Williams feat. Jay-Z – Frontin' "(in German).GfK Entertainment charts.Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  11. ^"Irish-charts – Discography Pharrell Williams".Irish Singles Chart.Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  12. ^"Nederlandse Top 40 – Pharrell Williams "(in Dutch).Dutch Top 40.Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  13. ^"Pharrell Williams feat. Jay-Z – Frontin' "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.
  14. ^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  15. ^"Pharrell Williams feat. Jay-Z – Frontin' ".Singles Top 100.
  16. ^"Pharrell Williams feat. Jay-Z – Frontin' ".Swiss Singles Chart.
  17. ^"Official Singles Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  18. ^"Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40".Official Charts Company.Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  19. ^"Pharrell Williams Chart History (Hot 100)".Billboard.
  20. ^"Pharrell Williams Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)".Billboard.
  21. ^"Pharrell Williams Chart History (Pop Songs)".Billboard.
  22. ^"Pharrell Williams Chart History (Rhythmic)".Billboard.Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  23. ^"The Official UK Singles Chart Top 200 2003"(PDF).Official Charts Company.RetrievedSeptember 14,2022.
  24. ^"2003 Urban top 30"(PDF).Music Week.January 17, 2004. p. 18.RetrievedAugust 4,2023.
  25. ^"2003 Year End Charts – The Billboard Hot 100 Singles & Tracks".Billboard.Prometheus Global Media.RetrievedJanuary 3,2012.
  26. ^"British single certifications – Pharrell Williams Ft Jay-Z – Frontin'".British Phonographic Industry.RetrievedJune 14,2024.
  27. ^Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and Orleans Avenue: Orleans & Claiborne.Amazon,
  28. ^Kimble, Julian (October 20, 2012)."Recap: Howard University Homecoming International Yardfest 2012".Complex.Verizon Hearst Media Partners.Archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2016.
  29. ^Smith, Trevor (June 6, 2014)."Disclosure - Frontin' (Remix)".HotNewHipHop.Retrieved23 July2018.
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