First off both these guys are incredible, they are the reason i originally got into sound production. Collectively they have made a HUGE influence and made making beats cool if not cooler than being a rapper/singer.
Secondly, those saying Chad Hugo aint puttin' in work are silly. Understanding the nuances of how an instrument is played is incredibly important and can be the difference of a melody/drum pattern pharrel thought of being a hit or a mega hit..... there is footage of justin & pharrell trying to figure out a melody on piano and Chad coming through and crushing the buildings with it.... just a small example. Skateboard P needs Chad as much as Chad needs P.... probably why they are in fact the Neptunes..
now... Timbo V Pharrell
I think Timbo's best work outshines Pharrell's best work by small margin.
Aaliyah's album, Missy classics.
I think Pharrell got him if you compare a lot of the work done by artists that they've both done production for.
JT, Jay-z come to mind, but even that is a small margin.
Overall sound, I gotta say Timbalands drums knock ridiculously hard while Pharrell brings that funk & his melodies are fukking outrageous.
Creativity = tie
body of work = Timbo
versatility = pharrell
current stature = pharrell
I want to call it a tie if it's strictly beatmaking/ production, if you had a gun to my head i'd say pharrell though.
If you gave each an hour in their own studios to compose a beat, who do you think would come out with the doper shyt? I'd be inclined to say Timbaland...