Pharrell Williams Dismissing Politics as a ‘Magic Trick’ Has Everyone Coming Straight for His Neck
Music producer Pharrell Williams wants the world to know that he is no longer interested in being associated with either Democrats or Republicans, after previously choosing one side of the aisle.
Pharrell, 52, recently touched on American politics while appearing at a celebration of Black entrepreneurship in Miami this month.
“I hate politics,” Williams emphatically stated at the 5th annual Black Ambition Demo Day event on Nov. 14. “Like, despise them. It’s a magic trick. It’s not real. I don’t believe in either side.”
He continued, “Because I think when you pick a side, you are inadvertently supporting division.” The Virginia-bred recording artist also referenced the anti-DEI measures of the Donald Trump administration.
“Now diversity is off the table, equity is off the table, now inclusion is off the table. So that makes me ask myself, ‘OK, so how do we survive?’” Williams wondered aloud.
He then turned to the audience and asked, “OK. So, do you want the job because you’re Black or because you’re the best? Do you want someone to support your startup because you’re Black or because you’re the best?”
“If diversity, equity, and inclusion ever come back in style, cool. But in the meantime, I’m going to focus on being the best, because I can bank on that,” Pharrell confidently proclaimed.
Williams’ comments quickly spread across the internet, drawing condemnation from political pundits such as Roland Martin. A recent segment on “Roland Martin Unfiltered” was dedicated to what the “Happy” hitmaker had to say.
“What Pharrell just said there is really some of the dumbest [stuff] I ever heard!” Martin, 57, exclaimed on the Nov. 17-dated edition of his digital show.
The veteran journalist from Houston also made it personal by mentioning Pharrell’s cousin, Donovan Lynch, who was killed by a police officer in 2021, and the city of Virginia Beach settled with a $3 million lawsuit filed by Lynch’s estate.
“Pharrell, that’s called politics. The city, the elected leaders, had to approve the settlement,” Martin explained. The former CNN contributor also cited Pharrell’s need for city approval to host his Something in the Water festival in Virginia Beach as another example of why politics is not a “trick.”
In addition to Martin blasting Williams for his remarks at Black Ambition Demo Day, the “Roland Martin Unfiltered” community on YouTube also relentlessly slammed the 13-time Grammy Award winner.
“When Black folks get money, they think they are white. As soon as they move out the hood to where white folks live, they feel like they are one of them,” one commenter expressed about the Grammy-winning artist and Men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton, who has a reported net worth of $250 million.
Similarly, someone in Martin’s comment section also had an anti-elitist complaint by writing, “He is now surrounded by the elite, and they have convinced him that he is soooo special. It’s washed common sense out of Pharrell.”
“Most, not all, Black millionaires and billionaires lose their souls, integrity, critical thinking, and spread nonsense to their fans. All comes from greed and love of money. Shame on them!” read another critical reply.
Many of the reactions on X also rejected Pharrell’s indifferent attitude toward the state of politics in the current Trump-led America.
“Pretending that politics doesn’t matter is indeed an exclusive province of rich people. You get what you vote for. Elections always have consequences,” an X user tweeted in response to Pharrell’s take.
A more balanced post read, “These are the capital Black excellence tropes. I don’t look to Pharrell to be a political advocate; he is who he is. Which is a hard thing to accept. But the music slaps.”
Pharrell rose to prominence in the 1990s as one-half of The Neptunes production team with his childhood friend, Chad Hugo. The duo helped create classic records with acts such as Jay-Z, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Kelis, and other musicians.
As a soloist, Pharrell topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Happy” in 2013. Plus, the “In My Mind” album creator became a tastemaker in the fashion world as a founder of the Billionaire Boys Club brand and men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton.
When it comes to politics, Pharrell previously aligned himself with the Democratic Party by endorsing Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign against the election’s eventual winner, Republican nominee Donald Trump.
“It makes me angry when people say she can’t lead our country because she’s a woman. How dare anyone question a woman’s ability?” Williams said about Clinton at a Beverly Hills event in November 2016.
He continued, “Every person on this planet was brought into this world by a woman. Has she been dishonest about things? Sure. Have you? She don’t lie no more than any other politician does.”
In 2018, Pharrell sent Trump a cease-and-desist letter after the president played “Happy” at a political event in Indiana just hours after a fatal mass shooting in Pittsburgh. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the fashion designer’s attorney insisted there was nothing “happy” about the tragedy at the Tree of Life synagogue.
