ent Williamsburg nightspots. PHARRELL WILLIAMS, 30. Pop production whiz's maddeningly catchy beats legitimized Justin Timberlake, and cameos of his Curtis Mayfield-like falsetto are becoming ubiquitous on hits by Jay-Z and others. Pro: Makes more than you do in a year to tweak a Britney Spears song. Con: Approa

nt Williamsburg nightspots. PHARRELL1A/ILLIAMS, 30. Pop production whiz's maddeningly catchy beats legitimized Justin Timberlake, and cameos of his Curtis Mayfield-like falsetto are becoming ubiquitous on hits by Jay-Z and others. Pro: Makes more than you do in a year to tweak a Britney Spears song. Con: Approa

itar" Watson, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers, Todd Rundgren, Duke Ellington, Curtis Mayfield, and Stevie Wonder. Prince pioneered the "Minneapolis sound", a hybrid mixture of funk, rock, pop, R&B and new wave that has influenced many other

& John", which became a UK hit in 197o. Only a handful of artists of various genres had recorded albums that focused on social commentary, including Curtis Mayfield. Despite some politically conscious material recorded by The Temptations in the late 196os, Motown artists were often told to not delve into politi

ent Williamsburg nightspots. PHARRELL WILLIAMS, 30. Pop production whiz's maddeningly catchy beats legitimized Justin Timberlake, and cameos of his Curtis Mayfield-like falsetto are becoming ubiquitous on hits by Jay-Z and others. Pro: Makes more than you do in a year to tweak a Britney Spears song. Con: Approa

on lyrics about the ghettos and inner cities of black America, these songs were heavily influenced by the work of singer-songwriters Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield. Unlike Hayes and Mayfield however, the Temptations had no creative control over their recordings, and were in no way fond of the twelve- and thirt

ent Williamsburg nightspots. PHARRELL WILLIAMS, 30. Pop production whiz's maddeningly catchy beats legitimized Justin Timberlake, and cameos of his Curtis Mayfield-like falsetto are becoming ubiquitous on hits by Jay-Z and others. Pro: Makes more than you do in a year to tweak a Britney Spears song. Con: Approa