“There’s something in the ether…”
In an interview with “Rolling Stone” this past April, Pharrell Williams hinted of a “new wave” of music that was going to change the face of our modern music scene.
Now although plausible, whether the never-aging, multi-hyphenate art wizard created the wave or not, he certainly was riding it.
In case you were living under a rock, or what I like to call the “Patrick Star life” this past summer, 40-year-old Williams, the producer-musician-singer-songwriter-rapper-fashion designer-skateboarder-architect, grooved his way into summer’s biggest and ever-so funky hits.
But before I begin, with my hat off and hand over heart, I must salute and show respect to the godliness that is Daft Punk and their summer masterpiece album, “Random Access Memories.” (I apologize on my mandatory toast; anyone who knows me knows that Daft Punk is my all divine).
Anyway,
Skateboard P, along with ‘70s funk god Nile Rodgers and the French robots, crooned, jammed, resurrected and reminisced the disco dance scene with RAM’s “Lose Yourself to Dance” and “Get Lucky.” Now, I believe I don’t have to preach to any choir when I say that “Get Lucky” was played a good million times this summer, right?
Probably. The summer smash single reached triple platinum, according to the RIAA.
Back on Earth, I think, the Pharrell soul train shimmied its way into goats, topless models, and Robin Thicke.
Williams produced, co-wrote, and, with rapper T.I., guest featured on Robin Thicke’s funky summer blockbuster hit “Blurred Lines.” He also appeared on the song’s controversial music video. To those who were practicing the ways of a pink starfish, the more than 21-million-YouTube-hits video included the boys dancing with topless models (who are wearing nothing but makeup and nude-colored G-strings), giant red hash tags that screamed “#THICKE” across the screen, balloons that spelled out, “Robin Thicke has a huge dick,” and Pharrell chilling with some goats. With it’s addicting dance beat and “Hey! Hey! Hey!” catch line you probably sang drunk this summer, the song went quadruple platinum this summer, according to the RIAA.
(Side note, to anyone who’s seen the video, is it just me or did Pharrell look as baked as fresh oven bread? I mean it’s the only justifiable answer I have when I see him chewing on a piece of hay and hanging out with a goat.)
According to “Billboard,” with “Get Lucky” and “Blurred Lines” under his Billionaire Boys Club belt, our man became the first artist in four years and the twelfth artist in the charts history to hold the first and second place positions. For a guy who hasn’t even released an album in seven years, impressive doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Off the spotlight, Williams also produced and collaborated with some of 2013’s hottest, and probably most-tweeted-about names in music.
To name a few, he co-produced this year’s Jay Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” Miley Cyrus’ “Bangerz,” and Nelly’s upcoming “M.O.” Inside Pharrell’s feature list, you can catch him in Tyler, The Creator’s “IFHY,” 2 Chainz’s “Feds Watching” and the entire soundtrack to “Despicable Me 2” since of course, he co-wrote the entire film score. In the future, P can be seen as co-producer to Mac Miller’s, Busta Rhymes’, Mike Posner’s and Chris Brown’s upcoming albums.
Whether it was singing, rapping, producing, or chilling with a goat, Pharrell Williams took over the summer of 2013.
Lord only knows what P has left in store for us, but I have faith in him and music’s future. Whatever “The Neptunes” man touches will indubitably be out of this world.
