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Perhaps only Pharrell Williams -- half of the most sought-after production team in pop music, the Neptunes -- could get Gwen Stefani to guest on a song where her entire contribution is five spoken words repeated ad nauseam: "You got it like that."
Stefani answers Williams' titular question on "Can I Have It Like That," the first single from Williams' In My Mind, due November 15th. The solo debut from the red-hot producer -- and guest vocalist on hip-hop singles from here to Tuesday -- also features guest spots from rap mogul Jay-Z ("Young Girl"), Houston breakout Slim Thug ("Keep It Playa") and Puerto Rican reggaeton star Daddy Yankee ("Mamasita").
The disc is divided into two halves and two moods: seven tracks of club-banging hip-hop, seven of smooth R&B grooves. "You have the personality with your girl, and you have your macho mannerisms," Williams says. "You got all these characteristics that make up your personality." While the single, he adds, shows his "macho side," the track "She's an Angel" gets sensitive. "It's discussing with your mom that you really like a girl and you want to know what she thinks about the scenario. As a man, I shouldn't be afraid to express having a great relationship with my mother. There's something really exposing about that. I'm letting people into a part of my mind that I don't ever really let out."
But watch out for the CD's hip-hop half. "This is something that I just wanted to smash the radio and smash the television with," says Williams. "My music is a stimulant."