PHARRELL

Why Is PETA Protesting Pharrell?

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pharrell The Prelude To The Paris Games 2024 : Arrivals At Fondation Louis Vuitton
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Pharrell had a screening of his new biopic Piece By Piece at the Toronto International Film Festival yesterday (September 10), but the proceedings were interrupted by a PETA protestor. But, why?

Why Is PETA Protesting Pharrell?

Since early 2023, Pharrell has been the Men’s Creative Director for Louis Vuitton. After the screening incident, PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman issued a statement after the incident, saying, “We would be happy to stop disrupting Pharrell’s appearances but despite a lot of lip service, he’s yet to ditch fur and exotic skins. Pharrell can decide in a heartbeat, today, to use his power for good and stop being complicit in cruelty — it’s quite easy to be kind.”

The statement also notes the protestor “blasted” Pharrell “for his disgraceful use of wild-animal skins and fur.”

After the protester was removed from the screening, Pharrell said to the audience:

“Let me address that. You know, Rome wasn’t made in a day, and sometimes when you have plans to change things and situations, you have to get in a position of power and of influence, where you can change people’s minds progression. That’s not necessarily the way to do it, and sitting in my position, when I have conversations on behalf of organizations like that, unbeknownst to them, they come out here and do themselves a disservice. That’s OK: When that change comes, everybody in this room, will remember that I told you we’re actually working on that, and if she would have just asked me, I would have told her. But instead, she wanted to repeat herself.”

Pharrell Explains Why He Didn’t Tell Kendrick Lamar And Jay-Z They Were Going To Appear In Lego Form In ‘Piece By Piece’

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Piece By Piece is a unique documentary, in that it tells the story of Pharrell Williams through Lego. But the legendary musician and producer behind “Happy,” “Get Lucky,” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot” didn’t mention the colorful bricks format when he and director Morgan Neville reached out for talking head interviews from the likes of Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Snoop Dogg.

“We purposely did not tell anyone that that would be the finished product. We wanted people to just answer the questions and really give their full, unedited reactions to the opportunity to do the interviews,” Williams confessed to Variety. “Because if we would’ve said, ‘Okay, this is going to be in Lego,’ then people would have sort of curved what they were saying.”

He continued, “We didn’t want them to be influenced by what we wanted. We wanted the purest part. And I feel like part of the magic of what makes this film pop the way it does is because it’s so vivid and it’s not scripted.”

Outside of the three rappers listed above, Piece By Piece also features Gwen Stefani, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, and Pusha T.

Piece By Piece comes out in theaters on October 11. You can find out more here.

Pharrell, Kyle Richh, Lil Wayne, And Lil Yachty Take Over The Airwaves In Their Colorful ‘Can’t Hold Me Down’ Video

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Remember the movie Pleasantville, the 1998 fantasy dramedy with Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire, where the two modern teens get transported into their favorite 1950s black-and-white sitcom, bringing color and chaos into the lives of the characters in the titular small town?

That’s basically the plot of Pharrell‘s latest Doodles video, “Can’t Hold Me Down” with Kyle Ricch, Lil Wayne, and Lil Yachty, only sort of in reverse. Most of the video takes place in the greyscale Dullsville, but the three rappers invade the airwaves via the denizens’ TV sets, blasting them with color and brainwashing them into dancing to Pharrell’s boisterous beat.

“Can’t Hold Me Down” is the second single from Pharrell’s ongoing project with Doodles, the next-gen entertainment company that spun off from the NFT craze a couple of years ago and now looks to, apparently, get into the animation and film businesses with the Dullsville And The Doodleverse movie. The movie will debut at The Toronto International Film Festival featuring the vocal talents of Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty, Coi Leray, and Swae Lee, with a soundtrack produced by Pharrell. The movie was announced in July, with the Coi Leray-led single “Not In The Store” following in August.

You can watch the video for “Can’t Hold Me Down” above.

Pharrell Enlists Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty And Kyle Richh For “Can’t Hold Me Down”

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Pharrell knows what he’s doing. He’s one of the most revered producers in the world, and he’s made hits for longer than some of his collaborators have been alive. Despite his longevity, Pharrell always finds new ways to push his sound. He has his signature four count, but past that, there’s little similarities between his different eras. “Can’t Hold Me Down,” the artist’s latest single, is another bold step forward. He brings Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty and Kyle Richh into the mix for a song driven by bombastic synth lines.

“Can’t Hold Me Down” has a blunt force instrumental. Once it gets going, it doesn’t stop. This means the rappers on the track have to match its energy. Kyle Richh’s husky voice is a perfect match for Pharrell’s beat, firing off one quotable after another. Lil Yachty is the wild card, given how warbly and goofy his vocals can tend to sound. That said, Boat manages to hold the middle verse down while delivering the chorus. The chorus is arguably the weakest part of the song, as it just reverts to repeating the title. Lil Wayne comes rolls through to absolutely crush the last verse, though. Weezy continues to prove that nobody can be as consistently eccentric and clever, and he gets the song across the finish line.

Let us know what you think of this brand-new track, in the comments section down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.

Read More: Pharrell Rocks Out To Unreleased Clipse Collab In New Album Preview

Pharrell Cedes The Spotlight To His Guest Features

Quotable Lyrics:

Food for thought, that’s the dog food
Think it’s sweet like some junk food
That’s why I draw the line like it’s art school
They tried, dog, what I can do
I take “I’m” out impossible

Read More: Lupe Fiasco Reimagines Kanye West & Pharrell Supergroup CRS With “SHRINK”

The post Pharrell Enlists Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty And Kyle Richh For “Can’t Hold Me Down” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Pharrell’s LEGO Movie ‘Piece By Piece’ Has A Vibrant New Poster Full Of Easter Eggs

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In January, Focus Features announced Piece By Piece, “an unparalleled motion picture experience that captures the magic and brilliance of Pharrell Williams’ creative genius, one LEGO brick at a time.” The movie was directed by Morgan Neville, who won an Oscar for 20 Feet From Stardom, and Focus Features released the official trailer in June.

On Thursday, August 29, Pharrell posted a vibrant Piece By Piece poster packed with LEGO Minifigures. LEGO Kendrick Lamar wears his Crown Of Thorns. In LEGO, Daft Punk are no longer retired. LEGO Gwen Stefani resumes her No Doubt form. LEGO N.O.R.E. tips his “N.O.R.E.” cap.

The previously released trailer revealed that the movie will feature cameos by LEGO versions of Morgan Neville, Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg. Of course, Pharrell also took a break from scoring the Despicable Me franchise to provide new music for his own movie.

“Five years ago, Pharrell Williams approached me with the idea of helping him tell his story through LEGO animation,” Neville said in a statement provided in the original January announcement. “It was one of those rare moments where I knew in a second that this was a journey I wanted to go on. I’m grateful to our partners at Focus Features and at the LEGO Group for their belief in our crazy mission. We assembled an incredible team of creative collaborators to help make a new type of film. I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Pharrell added, “When I had this crazy vision to tell this story through LEGO bricks, I couldn’t have imagined a better partner than Morgan. He is a legend. Grateful that Focus wanted to collaborate with us, and I’m honored to share this with the world and bring people into my universe. Building with LEGO bricks encourages us to follow our imagination… who would’ve thought that playing with these toys as a kid would evolve into a movie about my life? It’s proof that anyone else can do it, too.”

Piece By Piece is exclusively in theaters on October 11. Find more information here.

Coi Leray And Pharrell Have Swag That’s ‘Not In The Store’ In Their Animated Video For ‘Doodles’

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In September, the “Stoodio” behind Doodles is premiering an animated feature, Dullsville And The Doodleverse, with a soundtrack curated by the brand’s Chief Brand Officer Pharrell Williams. Today, they’ve released the first single from said soundtrack, “Not In The Store,” featuring Pharrell and Coi Leray. The video is animated in the same cutesy style as the overall Doodleverse, which Coi’s daisy-faced avatar dancing and rapping its way through a colorful fantasy world. Check out the trailer for Dullsville And The Doodleverse below.

In case you haven’t heard of it, Doodles bills itself as “a next-generation entertainment company focused on immersive storytelling through the creation and distribution of live and digital experiences, original content, and lifestyle products.” It started out as an NFT collection on OpenSea, with users buying the cutesy digital avatars (which look like something out of Adventure Time), and using them to interact with other users by way of various platforms like Discord and, eventually, a Doodles metaverse. Picture Roblox by way of those Bored Apes NFTs. Users can apparently dress up their avatars with real-life brands like Adidas and Arizona Tea, which… I guess is one way to do that (you could also just buy the clothes in real life and wear them outside while you touch grass).

Here’s a look at one of the promotional trailers for the project below. You can watch Coi Leray’s “Not In The Store” video above.

Pharrell Campaigns To Bring Back Arts Competition At Summer Olympics

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Pharrell was one of the many celebrities who attended the Louis Vutton party during the Summer Olympics. The artist’s inclusion was a no brainer, given his role as the brand’s creative director. One thing that attendees didn’t expect, though, was Pharrell campaigning to change the Olympic games. Or rather, to change them back to how they used to be. During the event, the multi-talented entertainer said that the arts competition should be restored.

Pharrell spoke on the abandoned competition during the aforementioned LV party. “We get to remind people that at one point, the Olympics actually had the arts as a section that ran all these competitions,” he explained. Sculpture, architecture, visual arts. The idea we get to put the arts back in….Why not take this moment to bring awareness?” The arts competition that Pharrell references was introduced back in 1912. Apparently, five medals were awarded in the fields of music, painting, architecture, literature and sculpture. The arts competition was removed from the Olympics in 1948, however. An attempt to bring them back for the 1952 games proved unsuccessful.

Read More: Clipse Reveal That Their Upcoming Album Will Be Produced By Pharrell

Pharrell Wants To Encourage Younger Artists

Pharrell using his voice to promote the arts makes complete sense. He has done so for the bulk of his career. During a 2012 interview with Complex, the artist claimed that every facet of his career, whether it be music or fashion, allows him to express himself. It provides the ultimate challenge and the ultimate reward. “What’s music without fashion, you know,” he noted. “What is fashion without music? They’re all basically ways to express yourself. Musically you express yourself and fashion-wise you express yourself. Some people who are good at one thing and some people are great at all three.”

Pharrell is continuing to walk the walk in his career. Piece by Piece, the upcoming film about his life, is slated to close out the esteemed London Film Festival. The film is animated, and all of the characters will be depicted as LEGOs. Once more, the artist saw LEGO as metaphor for creating. “Building with LEGO bricks encourages us to follow our imagination,” he wrote in a statement. “Who would’ve thought that playing with these toys as a kid would evolve into a movie about my life. It’s proof that anyone else can do it too.”

Read More: Snoop Dogg And Pharrell Carry Olympic Torch Before Paris Games

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Pusha T Reveals The Official Title Of Clipse’s Long-Awaited Album, Which Is, Of Course Produced By Pharrell

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Just when you thought musical comebacks were a done deal, Clipse entered the chat. Although the sibling duo, comprised of Pusha T and No Malice, have kept themselves busy with other personal ventures, they fans have desperately yearned for an album.

Last month, Pusha T confirmed that the duo were finally on one accord about a full-length project. They’ve even came together to premiere a new track during their surprise performance at Louis Vuitton’s recent fashion. But no further details were shared regarding the project. Well, until now. Over on Instagram, Pusha T revealed the official title for Clipse’s long-awaited album.

“In celebration of this weekends’ Denim Tears 5th anniversary party,” he wrote. “Where Clipse will be performing ahead of their new album, ‘Let God Sort Em Out.’”

The caption seemed like a simple promotional obligation for the fashion brand’s event, until followers realized that he bread crumbed the album name.

As part of a sit down with Vulture, confirmed that one half the Clipse’s longtime producing team The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams, is also onboard for the upcoming release. “Pharrell producing everything is also an ode to the type of music and the type of albums we want to make,” he said. “We still want to make full bodies of work. These are movies, man. These aren’t just songs. This isn’t just a collection of joints we went in and banged out.”

But don’t expect to see Chad Hugo’s name anywhere in the credits. Unfortunately, it appears Hugo’s legal battle with Pharrell has spilled over into Clipse’s willingness to work with him.

Snoop Dogg And Pharrell Carry Olympic Torch Before Paris Games

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Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams both carried Olympic torches Friday morning in the last leg of the 2024 relay. The relay, an Olympic tradition, ends with the lighting of the cauldron at the opening ceremonies, signifying the beginning of the Paris Games. More than two months after the Olympic flame was first lit in Greece, Snoop took his torch through a stretch of Seine-Saint-Denis in France. In a video of the scene, the legendary rapper waves to fans in attendance and dances while holding the torch.  

“I look at this as a prestigious honor and something I truly respect,” Snoop Dogg previously told the Associated Press after he was asked to do the relay. “I would have never dreamed of nothing like this. I’m going to be on my best behavior. I’m going to be on my best athleticism. I’ll be able to breathe slow to walk fast and hold the torch with a smile on my face, because I realize how prestigious this event is.” Pharrell was the final bearer of the torch before the flame makes its way to the Olympic cauldron. He carried it to the top of the Basilica Cathedral of Saint-Denis.

Snoop Dogg Carries Olympic Torch Before Paris Games Begin

 
 
 
 
 
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For Snoop Dogg and Pharrell, they are two more celebrities who’ve had the honor of holding the Olympic torch. K-pop singer Jin held it earlier this month. Muhammad Ali, Magic Johnson, the Williams sisters, and others have held it in the past. The torch relay, which started with the 1936 Summer Olympics, spans multiple countries and people from everywhere in the world. It is viewed as a symbol of unity and friendship, becoming a lasting tradition during what is always a joyous time for the participating countries.

Snoop Dogg holding the torch is the latest example of what has been a successful year for the legend. His revived Death Row Records is building out its roster. Snoop introduced Charlie Bereal to fans on Wednesday, a signing that went over well with his audience. He announced Missionary, the Dr. Dre-produced spiritual successor to his debut album Doggystyle, was on the way. Snoop is among the most accomplished artists of all time. And now, he can call himself a former Olympic torch bearer as well.

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Pharrell Enters Creative Partnership with evian Water

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Pharrell Enters Creative Partnership with evian Water

Pharrell Williams is turning his creative eye to water. In a partnership with evian, Pharrell will collaborate with the brand and his company, Human Race.

According to Hypebeast, the collaboration will feature Humance Race’s aesthetic and promote “mental and physical well-being.”

“Our collaboration with evian is focused on well-being, physically and mentally. I’m excited to share our work and message of joy with the world. This partnership has multiple elements to keep everyone living young throughout the year. We’re inviting everyone to discover their own playful and curious spirit and rediscover that sense of youth within themselves,” says Williams.

The post Pharrell Enters Creative Partnership with evian Water first appeared on The Source.

The post Pharrell Enters Creative Partnership with evian Water appeared first on The Source.