By 2006, Pharrell Williams was one of the primary artists dictating what was cool in culture. Aside from Kanye West, no one quite dominated music and style as he did. The Neptunes were still extremely in demand from rappers and pop stars alike. They helped break Clipse as an all-time duo in hip-hop. N.E.R.D. allowed him and his partner-in-crime Chad Hugo to experiment with R&B and rock records that bigger, established artists might not touch. That’s before you even get into how he popularized streetwear with Billionaire Boys Club and A Bathing Ape collaborations.
Naturally, at such a massive height in his career, Pharrell decided to branch out as more than just a producer. He wanted to be a full-blown solo artist. Consequently, 20 years ago today, he released his debut album In My Mind, an extremely colorful, eclectic album that featured everyone from Slim Thug to Gwen Stefani.
The record debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling a strong 142,000 copies in its first week. He trailed LeToya Luckett of early Destiny’s Child fame with her own debut album, and Now That’s What I Call Music! 22, a compilation you’d see strolling around Walmart.
Pharrell Released the Influential ‘In My Mind’ 20 Years Ago Today
In My Mind proved deeply influential to artists for years to come. Most notably, Tyler, the Creator has frequently cited it as his favorite album of all time. When it turned 15 years old in 2021, he candidly recalled his memories surrounding the classic Pharrell record.
“[I] was at Hawthorne High summer school and man I can’t articulate what it means/ did for me. I made Odd Future that summer and set out to be where I am now before 10th grade begun. Very important piece of art to me,” Tyler wrote.
Despite its impact, critics were particularly cold to Pharrell. Sean Fennessy of Pitchfork rated it a 3.9 out of 10, stating that without Chad Hugo’s contributions, “It’s all pizzazz, no pathos.” Similarly, Rolling Stone gave it 2 and a half stars out of 5, where writer Christian Hoard figured the producer was playing it too safe.
“In My Mind is still only so-so, offering a series of modestly tuneful, sometimes snoozy soul-pop-hip-hop songs,” he wrote. “Next to guests Jay-Z, Snoop and Slim Thug, Pharrell’s playa-playa croon gets tiresome. He would have been better off saving In My Mind‘s best bits the sly hook on ‘Keep It Playa’ or the beat to ‘Raspy S**t’ for someone else’s record.”