At the 5th annual Black Ambition Demo Day last month, Pharrell shared his take on politics, revealing that he has little interest in them. "I hate politics,” he explained. “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.”
“Yes, it’s not a popular point of view," he continued. "But I just gotta say, when I think about it, the wells are drying up." He went on to comment on the idea of supporting businesses based on skin color.
“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?” Pharrell asked. “I think now for me, it’s about us having the best ambition, and that’s the reason why you should support these businesses. [...] Yes, they happen to be black and brown, but it should be based on the fact that they’re the best, not because of a shade of skin color.”
Pharrell Politics
These remarks ended up earning him some backlash, which he seemed to address while accepting the Shoe Of The Year award at the 2025 Footwear News Achievement Awards.
“Sound bite this," he began, as seen in a clip shared by Kurrco. "Since most people don’t like to read or do research anymore, sound bite this. God is the greatest. Sound bite this. I’m from Virginia. Sound bite this. 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.”
“I’m proletariat. In fact, I’m lumpenproletariat. Sound bite this. I had to stay on my feet. Sound bite this. But I could never walk in the shoes of my parents, parents, etc, all they had to endure while staying on their feet," Pharrell concluded. "Sound bite this. At least a couple times a day, put down your phone and think on your own."
