Frontin'

Infobox Single
Name = Frontin


Artist = Pharrell featuring Jay-Z
from Album = The Neptunes Present... Clones
Recorded = 2003
Released = U.S. - June 3, 2003
UK - August 4, 2003
Format = CD single
Vinyl
Genre = R&B
Length = 4:01
Label = Arista Records
Star Trak
Writer = Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Shawn Carter
Producer = The Neptunes
This single = "Frontin'"
(2003)
Next single = "Can I Have It Like That"
(2005)

"Frontin'", is a 2003 song by producer Pharrell. The title refers to putting up a facade (or false 'front'), typically to impress peers. The song features rapper Jay-Z, is written by Pharrell and produced by The Neptunes. At the time he insisted the single was a one-off, and that he was purely a producer and not a rapper/singer in his own right. However, he has since released his own solo album, In My Mind.

"Frontin'" was a big summer hit (the 34th biggest single of 2003 (US) according to Billboard Magazine), and was featured on the album The Neptunes Present... Clones, which debuted at number one in August 2003.

"Frontin'" was a #5 hit in the U.S. upon its June 2003 release and remains his biggest hit there to date. It also peaked at #1 in the U.S. R&B/Hip Hop and U.S. Rap charts. In the UK the single also charted inside the top 10, peaking at #6 in the UK official singles chart and spending 10 weeks within the top 75. It is Pharrell's biggest hit worldwide as a solo artist (his biggest hit overall being Drop It Like It Hot with Snoop Dogg).

The lead girls in the video are Lanisha Cole and Lauren London (the girls that were at the door).

Credits

*Written by Pharrell, Chad Hugo, and Jay-Z
*Produced by The Neptunes
*All instruments by Pharrell and Chad Hugo

Rosario Dawson is also featured in the video.

Covers

The track was covered by UK neo-Jazz artist Jamie Cullum, whose version, recorded on February 11, 2004 for BBC Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley's Live Lounge, was played to Pharrell (who was clearly very impressed by the cover) on a visit to the show, which lead to Cullum's eventual signing to Star Trak. The cover also appeared on Cullum's US release of "Twentysomething" as a bonus track. Cullum's version was released as a single and reached #12 in the UK.

It was also covered live by Maroon 5, featuring Chad and rapper Mos Def, who replaced Jay-Z's verse with impromptu rapping from A Tribe Called Quest's Bonita Applebum, in an apparent reference to similarities between parts of the tracks.

Track listing

;UK CD
# "Frontin’" (Featuring Jay-Z) "(Radio Edit)"
# "Hot Damn" (Featuring Ab Liva)
# "Popular Thug" (Kelis Featuring Nas)
# "Frontin’" "(Video)"

Charts