Kanye West has always had a way of surprising people — whether it’s through his unconventional artistry, fashion, bold statements, bizarre behavior, or hearsay .
This time, in a refreshingly candid interview with his longtime pal and music industry peer, Pharrell Williams, Kanye compared him to Michael Jackson, saying: “He’d just pop the needles off”.
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It’s definitely a bold statement to make!
It’s really no secret that Kanye West speaks his mind.
Whether he’s stealing the mic at the VMAs to steal somebody’s thunder, or trying to convince people that there’s nothing wrong with wearing a MAGA hat — the man cannot be stopped.
But when you pair him up with Pharrell Williams, you’re in for a very insightful, compelling conversation!
And seeing as they’re both music industry vets, it’s especially interesting to hear their perspective on things!
They have great conversations!
So, in a recent interview with his longtime friend and music industry peer, Pharrell, Kanye pointed out some interesting similarities between him and Michael Jackson.
In the latest issue of i-D magazine , the pair interviewed each other, and got into a thought-provoking, candid conversation!
They discussed some current events, for starters. Like COVID-19.
“I think we need to be clear that this is a plague we’re living through at the moment,” Pharrell said.
“I don’t think there will be such a thing as a new normal”.
“It doesn’t do enough justice to the difference in who we were pre-pandemic and who we will be moving forward,” he added.
“I think it’s made a lot of people very wary and on edge .”
“Life’s going to have a different kind of gravity than it’s ever had before.”
He explained that even though we’ve never been more physically disconnected from other humans in our lifetime, we’ve never been closer via technology and social media.
“It’s also gonna make us really separated. We’re disconnecting from each other even though online we’re probably more connected than we’ve ever been.”
“It’s a bit like the Tower of Babel, if you will,” he added .
“We’ve never been this close, and there’s a lot of advantages that come with that.”
“There’s a lot of disadvantages, too, and a lot of grey areas,” he explained .
The conversation then shifted to how celebrities have been presented in the media, and how discouraging it can be.
Kanye pointed out that the way the media covered Michael Jackson at the height of his career, and the way they covered Pharrell’s were quite similar.
“We should have something that says we can’t allow any company to tear down our heroes,” he began.
“Not on *The Shade Room*, not on social media and especially not in documentaries,” he went on.
He explained that even in his own experience, he can tell when the media is about to tear him apart for something he did.
“I’m like every time the media isn’t happy with me it’s like, ‘Here they go. They’re gonna come and Wacko Jacko me.’ Which in some ways, they’ve tried to do.”
He said that the way Pharrell broke certain barriers was reminiscent of the way Michael Jackson did in his prime.
“It felt like you really tore down the walls and the doors much like Michael Jackson did a generation before,” he said.
“In a way, he’s very similar to Michael Jackson, in the ways where Michael Jackson was doing covert, super gangsta stuff “.
“Like he’d just pop the needles off. He kissed Elvis Presley’s daughter on MTV,” he continued.
He explained that Michael Jackson was unafraid to think outside the box and act outside the confines of what was expected from black celebrities.
“Black culture used to be… we used to be fronting all night, but Michael was doing stuff that was different to what we were programmed to understand as being what we should do.”
“He bought The Beatles’ back catalogue. That was Mike Jackson, right there .”
Do you think that Kanye West made a good point, comparing the late Michael Jackson in his prime to Pharrell Williams in his?
Read the full interview here .
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
