Unquestionably Pharrell Williams in his production team The Neptunes has produced some of the best hip-hop records of the past decade, but when it comes to his own material there's an overwhelming sense he's given his best ideas away to other artists. As a businessman the Pharrel brand which you can see below with his Billionaire Boys Club clothing line below show Williams as an astute mind building up his own empire.

Designer Magazine sent photographer Shirlaine Forrest down to capture some classic modern day hip hop imagery on the Manchester leg of his solo UK tour. The lights were down the low, the gloss was stripped away and when he dipped into his backcatalog Pharrell had the chance to shine in the spotlight

Alex McCann
Photos: Shirlaine Forrest www.shirlainephotos.co.uk