Pharrell is speaking out about the supposed lack of "color" on his new album cover G I R L. Find out what the ridiculously talented P tells TheYBF.com about the controversy and what he had to say about the black women who surround him. He has lots to get off his chest....
So it seems many people are upset for the lack of representation of black women on Pharrell’s new G I R L album cover. Ebony Magazine’s senior digital editor Jamilah Lemieux wrote an article this week on her dismay that Pharrell chose “three extremely pale women” to be featured on his album cover. Even Twitter went in on his choice of women, but now P has LOTS to say about the controversy that he feels has no merit.
While speaking to TheYBF.com about the “black girl controversy” surrounding his album cover, Pharrell dropped the bomb that there IS actually a black girl on the cover. And...he revealed she just so happens to be a woman he used to date!
According to Pharrell, the woman he’s standing closest to (in the middle) is black. He says he was trying to put ordinary, beautiful women on the album cover...and that’s it.
The Oscar nominee told TheYBF.com in our interview on Wednesday:
Well, they’re ill informed. The woman I’m standing closest to, she is black and she’s been a friend of mine for a long time. You know, I’m confused by it.
Then they’re going to ask me do I not have an Indian woman on there or a Pakistani woman on there? But meanwhile, I do. She is African American and I feel sorry for her that people will look her dead in her face like she ain’t black but she is black. It’s a girl I use to date years ago.
It’s just unfortunate because it’s 2014 and we have a President [who’s black]. Is this what it is? Is it because she’s not brown? I don’t feel funny about our President because he is what he is. Meanwhile, has anybody forgotten that I’m black myself? I wake up everyday and I wave the black flag. Everything that I’m doing. You know, this “Happy” song going #1. What is the guy that’s singing the song? What do you mean?
Pharrell didn't stop there. He went on to explain how black woman are such an important part of his life, and challeneged others to truly see what his much-anticipated album is about:
I’m standing by a black woman. My business is run by a black woman. My mom partially looks after my business and she’s a black woman. I’m married to a black woman. I’m confused. I guess once you get the album you will look inside and see she’s a black woman. I’m sorry that from that vantage point you can’t look at her hair and tell that she’s black.
My intentions are…this album is an ode to woman. It’s not necessarily an ode to a shade, it’s an ode to women. And to people who are confused by that, you have got to know me better than that. Look at the “Frontin” video.
And here I am trying to put ordinary, beautiful girls on the cover…not no models. I didn’t go to 29 agencies looking for runway models. I wanted ordinary people because I don’t think celebrities or models are the stars anymore. I think pedestrians are the stars. And I think beautiful pedestrians will run the world and that’s what I consider myself, like a pedestrian.
I understand it. Hopefully when they see, they’ll see.
Well, there you have it. Check back soon for the rest of our amazing (if we do say so ourselves) interview with Skateboard P.
