Photo by @gulftoday. At the 2026 BET Awards, Janet Jackson stepped on stage to honor Teyana Taylor with the Icon Of The Year Award. It wasn’t just a presentation moment, it felt like a full-circle celebration of an artist who built her own lane across music, film, choreography, and fashion. Pharrell was part of the moment as the narrator, tying everything back to where it all started.
Teyana’s journey with The Neptunes goes back to 2007, when she was signed as a teenager to Star Trak Entertainment, the label he co-founded with Chad Hugo. Her early single “Google Me” produced by Jazze Pha, marked the beginning of her public introduction, with Pharrell guiding her early steps as a mentor and creative support while she developed her voice and identity.
Chad Hugo’s role during that era stayed mostly behind the scenes, shaping the sound of The Neptunes and the wider Star Trak world, while Pharrell worked closely with Teyana on direction and development. Even though only a small portion of her early material was officially released, that period set the foundation for everything that came after.
Years later, her exit from Star Trak in 2012 led her toward new creative freedom and eventually to GOOD Music with Kanye West. Still, the connection to Pharrell remains a meaningful part of her story, not as a headline of conflict, but as the start of a path that led her to becoming the artist she is today.
