Over the last few years, it's become clear just how far-reaching Pharrell's influence has been. We've seen artists like Tyler, The Creator cite him as their biggest influence, and all the while, he's continued to sculpt the sound of popular music through his production and his solo material. On the latest episode his Beats 1 radio show, Pharrell welcomed a student of his work, ASAP Rocky, and the two spoke of the importance of being yourself in an industry where trend-chasing is abundant.
Rocky spoke of being pinned to "Fuckin Problems," explaining that he chose a smaller loyal fanbase rather than appealing to radio. "Most fans are fickle," he said. "Meek Mill was the man last week, then the Drake stuff happened and people wanna bandwagon... You know there's politics to that-- I do think that was a good battle [laughs]". Still, it is what it is. I think it's better to have a cult following. Those are people who can actually contribute to your culture as well, because the more the merrier.
He then gave Pharrell some serious props. "There would be no cats like myself if it wasn't for fellas like you, Kanye West," he admitted, "being daring, just being yourself."
Pharrell spoke of the freeing nature of doing things your way, before returning Rocky's praise. "When you discover that it's so much more fun to be you than fitting in... That's why we made that record, "[Mr.] Me Too," 'cause everybody was like 'you got that? me too,' and it just became annoying -- like, who are you? I'm happy to say right now, people like yourself, Kendrick -- y'all are just happy being yourselves, and it doesn't matter... you hear it in the music. You just hear that freedom"
Watch a video clip from the interview below.
