When it comes to politics, Pharrell Williams is historically neutral. Ultimately, his reasoning is simple and incredibly idealistic. When speaking at the 5th annual Black Ambition Demo Day, he lamented how politics naturally causes an irreparable divide between people. “I hate politics– like, despise them. It’s a magic trick. It’s not real. I don’t believe in either side. Because I think when you pick a side, you are inadvertently supporting division,” he explains.
Then, Pharrell dished on diversity, equity, and inclusion and argued that people should be graded on their quality of work, not their race or gender. “Now diversity is off the table, equity’s off the table, now inclusion’s off the table. I asked myself, ‘Okay, how do we survive?’ Well, are there Black people here tonight? And in your heart, do you think for what it is that you do, do you think you’re the best? 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?” Pharrell questions the crowd.
Naturally, this sparked a lot of outrage from fans on social media. But rather than let it blow over, the N.E.R.D. crooner and producer addressed it head-on. Recently, Williams accepted the Shoe of the Year award at the Footwear News Achievement Awards. There, he decided to use the time for his speech to address people dogging him and his opinion on politics online. He digs at his critics and tells them to “sound bite this” repeatedly, reminding them of his upbringing.
Pharrell Addresses Criticism for His Take on Politics
“Sound bite this: since most people don’t like to read or do research anymore,” he says. “Sound bite this: God is the greatest– sound bite this: I’m from Virginia. You don’t know what I know. You ain’t seen what I saw. No, you ain’t been where I go. I’m from the mud. As a child, nobody’s been evicted more times than me, lights turned off, water turned off, and at times, had to pump the water.”
Then, Pharrell uses Marxist theory to define his sociopolitical stance, calling himself a “lumpenproletariat” despite his “bourgeois taste and heart.” For those unfamiliar, “lumpenproletariat” refers to a people who lack class consciousness and, as a result, are averse to revolution. Ultimately, Williams makes the point in order to emphasize perseverance above all else in order to achieve success.
“But I could never walk in the shoes of my parents’ parents’ parents, etc. All they had to endure while staying on their feet,” Pharrell tells the crowd. “Or my ancestors, who arrived as captives, enslaved, who had no shoes yet had to stay on their feet as they landed on the shores of Virginia. As Black and Brown people on this earth, we have to stay on our feet. We have never had a choice. Sound bite this: we’ve needed empathy for someone to walk in our shoes.”
Lastly, Pharrell doubles down on his financial efforts to help Black and Brown startup businesses. That’s why he feels like he was taken out of context in a sound bite, given the repetitive refrain. “That’s where the soundbite of me saying I hate politics, which was in response to the DEI support and donations drying up because of new policies. So yes, I got frustrated, and the sound biters, they caught me lacking. But sound bite this: I will never stop fighting. I will never stop raising money to help level the playing field. Never.”
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