Pharrell Williams lands on the cover of Complex's Best of 2013 Month. The super producer/rapper talks to Joe La Puma about Kanye's West's "rock star" quote, reinventing himself, fashion looks he regrets and more.
How important is it to you to constantly reinvent yourself?
I try to do it every day. We all evolve. That’s not specific to me. It’s something I don’t fight—like, “Oh well, that might be too much.” And then you look up and a dude walks past and he’s done it. The universe is going to continue to evolve, and the ultimate feat in that experience is the perspective of awareness. It’s only when you deny yourself those gut feelings that the universe taps you on the shoulder like, “Yo, told you…."
People do reinvent themselves, but your reinvention seems so methodical.
It’s totally not. I just listen. I watch the signs and I listen. Other than that, this is not engineered—maybe by God, maybe by the universe, but not me. I was having a conversation with Justin Bieber about zodiac signs, and he was like, “I don’t get it. I don’t get why just because I’m a Pisces it means that all Pisces think like me?” And I said, “The zodiac signs only tell you what your tendencies may be, but if you look, most of them are there.” He was like, “So this person is a Gemini, and they complain about getting up in the morning, too.” And I was like, “It’s a little more subtle than that.”
I used to say, “I’m super lucky.” Teddy Riley built his studio five minutes from my high school, and now when I go to New York I’m like, “Who the fuck goes to Virginia?” I know who goes to Virginia. He went to Virginia, and he went for a specific reason. I’m not going to say what that reason is for me. But I know I was meant to be affected by his decision. So I know it wasn’t an accident and it wasn’t a mistake. He built a studio a five-minute walk from me. I could be completely wrong. God could be upstairs high-fiving E.T. and Tupac and they’re all laughing at it with a drink in their hands. But you asked me that question, now I’m going to ask you: Do you think there’s a method?
Kanye had an interview where he said, “Hip-hop artists are the new rock stars.” Do you agree with that?
Jimmy Iovine said it first. He said Dre is the Jimi Hendrix of hip-hop. He heard N.W.A. and he didn’t understand what the fuck he was listening to. He thought it was the most radical, punk, rock-star-minded shit ever. It was bigger than punk, because punk was always too cool to ever become huge, but rock ’n’ roll, the entire genre did rise to the occasion of being big.
You had green hair, and a sort of hip-hop grunge thing going on at one time. Are there any looks you regret?
That’s a funny question. Often I see people going crazy over people who wear furs. And just recently I tried on something from Moncler. This crazy jacket. And I regret it because I sympathize with the people who are animal activists. I sympathize with their movement and I recognize that people could be impressionable. But at the same time, I like fashion. And I don’t like being told what to do. I especially don’t like people who judge because those people who sit around like they’re purists on every level, I’m sure you can find a sin there somewhere. Don’t point the finger. Like, I hope there’s nothing leather in your whole entire house. And if there isn’t, that’s cool, but what about what you’re driving? Oh, you’re not putting any emissions in the air? Oh, OK, cool. Alright, so are you feeding any people? What are you doing with your life? So, while I sympathize with their movement, I’ma take on a challenge.
To read the full interview head over to Complex.
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