Pharrell Williams in the context of "Despicable Me 2"

Alternative hip-hop (also known as alternative rap or backpack rap) is a subgenre of hip-hop defined by artists who reject the genre's traditional stereotypes, particularly those popularized by old-school hip-hop and gangsta rap. Originally emerging in the mid-to-late 1980s, the style was spearheaded by the Native Tongues collective in the East Coast which included acts like the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, X Clan, Brand Nubian, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Monie Love, Queen Latifah and later Busta Rhymes and Mos Def. These artists emphasized positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, while pioneering and popularizing the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats in hip-hop, drawing influences from political, progressive and conscious hip-hop artists such as Grandmaster Flash and Public Enemy.

During the 1990s, the alternative hip-hop movement expanded with West Coast artists such as the Pharcyde, Digital Underground, Souls of Mischief, Del the Funky Homosapien, Jurassic 5, Styles of Beyond and Freestyle Fellowship as well as certain Southern acts which included Arrested Development, Goodie Mob, and Outkast. The commercial and cultural momentum of the movement was impeded by the rise and popularity of West Coast gangsta rap, though experienced a degree of mainstream recognition through the success of the Fugees, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Outkast and Arrested Development. The Native Tongues movement inspired later alt rap artists such as the Roots, Lupe Fiasco, Digable Planets, Common, Little Brother, Black Eyed Peas, Dead Prez, Camp Lo, Jean Grae, Nappy Roots, Black Star, J Dilla, Lauryn Hill, MF Doom, Pharrell Williams, and Kanye West.

Konnichiwa is the fourth studio album by British rapper Skepta. The title is the greeting "hello" in the Japanese language. After numerous delays, it was released on 6 May 2016 by Boy Better Know. Konnichiwa features guest appearances from Jme, Boy Better Know, D Double E, Novelist, Wiley, Chip, Pharrell Williams, ASAP Nast and Young Lord. Konnichiwa was executively produced by Skepta himself, who produced all but three songs on the album. Pharrell also worked on production with Skepta on the album.

Konnichiwa was originally announced in early 2013, yet suffered from numerous delays and reworking. In November 2014, Skepta stated that Konnichiwa was to be released in March 2015, however this release date was delayed once again. In April 2016, Skepta restarted the album campaign by announcing the finalised release date. The album was launched with a party in Tokyo on 5 May 2016 arranged and broadcast globally by live streaming platform Boiler Room.

Despicable Me 3 is a 2017 American animated comedy film directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda and written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. Produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures, it is the sequel to Despicable Me 2 (2013) and fourth film in the Despicable Me franchise. The film stars the voices of Steve Carell (in a dual role), Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Coffin, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Jenny Slate, Dana Gaier, Nev Scharrel and Julie Andrews. In the film, Gru teams up with his long-lost twin brother Dru to stop Balthazar Bratt, a former child actor of the 1980s, from destroying Hollywood after his show was canceled years ago.

Development on a third main Despicable Me film began in 2013 with Coffin returning as director alongside Balda. The film was in the early writing stages by 2014, while the cast was announced in 2016. Heitor Pereira and Pharrell Williams returned for the music like the first two films.

Despicable Me is a 2010 American animated comedy film directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin and written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio from a story by Sergio Pablos. Produced by Illumination Entertainment as its debut film and distributed by Universal Pictures, it stars the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Jack McBrayer, and Julie Andrews. The film follows Felonious Gru, a longtime supervillain who adopts three orphan girls to use as pawns in a villainous scheme but reluctantly develops an emotional attachment to them.

Development of Despicable Me began when Pablos pitched the idea about a main character having villainous attributes to producer Chris Meledandri following Illumination's foundation in 2007. The film was announced in 2008, with much of its creative team attached. Animation was provided by Paris-based studio Mac Guff. Pharrell Williams and Heitor Pereira composed the film's score, with original songs written and performed by the former.

Despicable Me 4 is a 2024 American animated comedy film directed by Chris Renaud and written by Mike White and Ken Daurio. Produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures, it is the sequel to Despicable Me 3 (2017) and the sixth film in the Despicable Me franchise. The film stars the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Joey King, Miranda Cosgrove, Stephen Colbert, Sofía Vergara, and Will Ferrell. The film sees reformed supervillain and secret agent Gru temporarily relocate his family to a safe house when his old rival Maxime Le Mal seeks revenge. Subplots deal with Gru's family adjusting to their new lives, teenage neighbor Poppy Prescott trying to follow in Gru's footsteps, and a group of Gru's Minions becoming superheroes known as the Mega Minions.

Development on a fourth main Despicable Me film began in September 2017. It was officially confirmed in February 2022, with Renaud, Delage, and White attached as director, co-director, and writer, respectively. Production was underway by June 2022. Most of the main voice cast was announced in January 2024, with Hoffman and Daurio revealed as co-producer and co-writer, respectively. Heitor Pereira and Pharrell Williams returned from previous installments to compose the score and write original songs and themes, respectively.

The Native Tongues was a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats. Its principal members were the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, Monie Love, Queen Latifah, and Chi-Ali. The collective was also closely tied to the Universal Zulu Nation.

The Native Tongues movement inspired later alternative hip-hop artists such as Outkast, the Roots, Lupe Fiasco, Little Brother, Black Eyed Peas, Dead Prez, Camp Lo, Jean Grae, Nappy Roots, Digable Planets, Common, Black Star, J Dilla, Lauryn Hill, MF Doom and Pharrell Williams. Rolling Stone cites the track "Doin' Our Own Dang" as "the definitive Native Tongues posse cut".