Pharrell has worked with so many people in his long-spanning career, but he still has a few more people on his wish-list – including Playboi Carti and De La Soul.
The legendary producer sat down for a fan-led interview with The Guardian published on Thursday (January 12), and answered questions about everything from his great teeth to his skincare to his dream collaborations. Of the latter, Pharrell noted that he’s “overdue” to lock in with Carti.
“It’s always based on a vibe,” he said of what he bases his collaborative efforts on. “I like Playboi Carti. I think we’re overdue.”
He also added that he’d “do anything for” De La Soul while answering the question, “What album, past or present, does everybody need to hear?”
“All of De La Soul’s stuff is being re-released. Everybody needs to get 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul Is Dead,” Pharrell said. “Even when they were going through all their stuff, Damon [Albarn] from Blur put them on the Gorillaz albums, because he gets it. He knows those guys are responsible for making so many of us misfits feel like we actually fit.
“The De La tribe were the forefathers and founders of the way we see things,” he continued. “I was nearly 16 when 3 Feet High and Rising came out. It was a total gamechanger. It changed my life, period. Would I like to work with them? I would do anything for them, they know that. If they don’t, they should.”
Last month, the legendary Hip Hip group reunited with Prince Paul seemingly to work on new music – so Pharrell may be right on time to get in the lab with them.
“This might have been one of the most eventful years I’ve had in quite some time,” Paul said in a December Instagram post. “An unsuspected highlight was the opportunity to revisit and work on De La Soul once again.
“I really want to thank them for believing in me once more to get the job done…I want to thank everyone who was involved in helping us make this project a reality. Everybody who I called on to participate or get advice from.”
In related news, Pharrell’s Something in the Water Festival is set to return to his hometown of Virginia Beach for the weekend of April 28 through April 30, 2023.
After taking the festival to Washington, D.C. in 2022 and the previous two years being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be the first time Something in the Water comes back to Virginia Beach since its inaugural festival in 2019.
Love De La Soul and can’t wait for AOI Bionix to stream but…In the meantime, this “news” gets published whilst completely ignoring a week that saw massive underground releases from Capper Caveman, Daddio Golden-Arches, Shaftesbury Butlers, Grinch Minority, Herod Sherrod, Inspectah Boring, etc. Its only the start of 2023, and Big Grandma’s “Bouncer Better Have My Moth”, which is an early call for hip hop album of the year, is nowhere to be found on this site. Let’s all unite as one and show some love for Big Grandma in the comments.
Pharrell and de la would be an interesting combination.