Mon 19 Sep 2011
In part 1 of my recent interview with Pharrell, he comments on the state of music and had some pretty genuine comments about Rick Ross. Let’s hope these two cook something up real soon.
“The way Ross is killing it right now. It’s been a minute since the last time we had somebody like him to come out and do what he’s doing or like a Wayne,” Pharrell tells VIBE.
“It’s just completely authentic. [Ross] knows what he wants to do —knows his sound, has a style, has a definitive position, has a perspective on the game and what he adds to it and how he’s gonna change it,” he continues. “So music is in a really, really good place now and I’m watching it. I’m in the studio and everything is changing.”
Previously: A Closer Look At Pharrell’s Tagged Up Timbs (Photos)
Jay-Z is Pharrell’s Partner, Not His Boss: Decoding the Billionaire Boys Club x Rocawear Deal (Exclusive)
Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, Pharrell, Verbal, Busta Rhymes and More Celebrate Reebok’s ‘Reethym of Lite’
Pharrell Launches Qream Liqueur In L.A. With Robin Thicke
Helping Japan: Thank you Uniqlo, thank you Gaga, thank you Sandra, thank you too : )
Japan’s 8.9 Magnitude Earthquake and Tsunami #prayforJapan
September 19th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
off topic ,Dam guess street fam are going to have to start earnin they check fabolous is startin shit left an right first it was juelz now he got into a brawl wit ray j wtf lol….
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September 19th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
It’s nice that P is so full of compliments cuz VH1 did Ross DIRTY finishing up their Hip Hop Crack Generation special last night. Talking about “Today rappers wear street personas just like the same phat gold chains” *Cue Rick Ross*
I swear I could hear Jeezy laughing as I watched it.
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Nike Champ 718 Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
They didn’t do him dirty. They did him accurately.
That special was great, though. Really in depth about the whole crack epidemic. Found out alot of stuff that I never knew.
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Nightfall Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
Yes it was accurate but you know what I meant.
On a whole I was tell folk that when you see that special and understand the climate that so many Hip Hop greats came from, can you really not understand why the present tone of Hip Hop doesnt move people?
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Nike Champ 718 Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
The problem is that these new dudes aren’t hungry. You’d think that somehow, the economy was so great that EVERYBODY is paid out the ass. How many times do these dudes have to make a song about the amount of cars they have, how much one earring costs, etc.?
The best music comes from pain. All that great music (especially hip hop) came out when things were really effed up. Drugs, gang wars, high crime, low income, etc.
September 19th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
music does have cycles; hate to admitt it but i agree with pharell rick ross has resurrected and changed the tempo of florida music, and to be honest this hasn’t been done since luke days. He might be the new mayor of florida to be exact. def jam south units being sold and Florida being relevant is mostly due to ross. Far as “authenticity” dont take it out of context he meant the music not rick ross personally.
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Corporate Takeover Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Mayor or Governor? I hear you though Ross is doing his thing.
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Angry Gillmore Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 11:15 pm
correction governor its a state not a city sorry nyc syndrome lol
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lea Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 5:28 pm
xuse me, are you familiar with Trick Daddy? hasnt been done since Luke….youre kidding right?!?!?!
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Angry Gillmore Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 11:18 pm
him and trick daddy already had altercations. Isn’t he sick or something. were speaking on relevant floridians. Yes I know trick daddy’s history him and ross already settled this matter he agreed ross is the new generation of florida on national radio. not that i care to be honest im from nyc but he has generated the most income out of florida.
The point was making was not to take what pharell says out of context with his “authenticity” quote if the music is good it is good no matter where it comes from. i would add on not only is music in cycles but it travels through demographics as well.
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lea Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 9:38 am
i just got in my feelings when u stated hes the next best thing since Luke. Trick held it down, Ross is doing his thing. i just hate that radio is always on the next big thing, alot of these djs are here in Mia becuase of Trick Daddy and the the local channel only play YM and Ross and im sick of it. i needed to get that out!!! and about the money, can we agree the money is different now?
Angry Gillmore Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
@lea yeah i can agree inflation does play a factor. And i feel you i get tunnel vision in NYC with the DJ’s as well. I know the point you were emphasizing; I have a problem with people that don’t pay respect to architects of the craft, and get fed up with mainstream as well. I just wanted to make people aware of rick ross’s presence (which is what i think pharell was doing); it has touched international borders both financially and musically that’s all I’m saying. wether he is authentic or not is up for discussion but he made 6 million this yr, the music has to be decent to generate that type of money. thats all im saying
C Reply:
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:12 pm
dude who said they’re not hungry…
DONUTS
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September 19th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
‘Authentic’ and ‘Rick Ross’ don’t belong in the same sentence.
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September 19th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Rick Ross and “authentic” should never be mentioned together.
Music is great right now for dudes with no talent, so of course Pharrell is gonna say it’s great.
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September 19th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
Definitely agree with this. Music is so great right now because you don’t have to wait for interscope or warners to put your stuff out. You can take it to the net yourself and create a fanbase. It worked for Wayne, Ross, Wiz, Lil B, Soulja, Drake, and many more. Everyone can do them and not have to worry about trends to sell anymore. Rappers can live comfortable without even having a retail album. Fans can have more access to their favorite artist than ever before. It’s great.
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September 19th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
the word authentic and rick ross should not be in the same sentence
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September 19th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Authentic and hip hop shouldn’t be used in the same sentence. If those two aren’t an oxymoron, what is?
I think many take the music too seriously, but then again maybe we should give the artists more credit for making so many believe in stories so false.
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Angry Gillmore Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 11:21 pm
agreed. I will say this though he should compensate “free way” rick ross for using his name. or get him a label sit down or something. That is identity theft and i know its not legally but socially it is in my eyes. That’s my only back lash about Ross. far as how he portrays himself in music who cares. Jay-z been portraying a hustler since the 1980’s hasn’t sold anything since then (ask Calvin Klein) still reliving the dream in his music.
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C Reply:
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Nobody actually believed rick ross did they? I knew from the first time I saw Hustlin and knew he was a studio gangster – these dudes are like WWF used to be – it’s comical but these are smart guys, they should be tearing each other up lyrically, (not kicking the can…”BOSS”). I miss Ja Rule…the way 50 and Em destroyed him and Irv Gotti…I didn’t think Ja could even get himself arrested, so there we go, MURDA for 2 years lol. I think if rick ross had just been honest I might have been able to say, ok dude is retelling someone else’s story…”50 CENT,” but at least 50 mainly talks about what he knows I guess, or wants to have or do…I think it was awesome when he started crying on the radio after Trip C’s doesn’t even go wood. That was all his doing. Mainly…they might have sold 40,000 if he didn’t crush them. It was like a fighter after a fight. 50 is turning out to be more than just a rapper, I think he might run for an office one day, then he could really change something…could you imagine Senator Fiddy?
… just to kick more dirt, Triple c’s is pathetic…with that marketing budget – I could sell more albums than them – maybe a project for next summer.
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September 19th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
People talkin all this yang yang about Rick Ross not being authentic, real, or whatever like he’s the only fake artist out there. All these suckas are fake. They all make sh*t up, and its music. Since they are making music, it makes sense to look at who the best musicians are. In hip-hop, Ross is one of them. If you want real, don’t look for it in hip-hop.
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Nike Champ 718 Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
There’s a difference. Most of these dudes exaggerate what they did back in the day. Rapper X hustled on corners back in the day. Starts rapping, gets a deal, and becomes Tony Montana.
William Roberts isn’t exaggerating. He’s lying about everything. If he was really a big time hustler like he claims, he wouldn’t have to get fame from someone else’s name. He’d have his own professional name. Officer Ricky has been caught in lies a bunch of times. On top of the lying, he’s not even that good of a rapper. Dude’s average with a played out gimmick. If you want some great street hustler tales, go pick up a Rae or Ghost album.
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Angry Gillmore Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
nicely put except if he wasn’t a corrections officer would you scrutinize him to that extent? I don’t think its the fabrication people have a problem with i think its with the occupation; which goes to show the stigma hip hop has with law enforcement in general. I just have a problem with people scolding him and not scolding the likes of jay-z, 50 cent (reliving hustler tales from 20 yrs ago) and Dmx for that matter (who didn’t portray a hustler but a stick up kid by the way) . I don’t think its what rick ross represents that bothers people i think its who he represents. Its just hypocritical to me that’s all.
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Nike Champ 718 Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 3:00 pm
The CO past adds fuel to the flame. Lying about being on one side of the law when you were really on the other side is just wack to me.
50 and DMX have documented histories, so they can’t be put in the same category as Ross. Jay probably was just a small time dude who was around other dudes who actually made the moves.
Personally, I have a problem with all of it. Lying about what you do/did, stealing a real person’s name, lying about Freeway Rick giving you permission, being a law officer in the past, etc. Years ago, Ross would’ve gotten ran out of hip hop for this. It’s so dumbed down that you can front all you want. You can be a big time drug dealer without ever selling a bag of weed. You can be a gang member after you become famous and never have to put in work.
Angry Gillmore Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
@ Nike champ :I understand what you saying and it makes alot of sense individually. In no way shape or form am i a rick ross advocate by the way.
I just don’t get why its so blasphemous when Ross does it though when all the rappers do it; this has been going on since hip hop has become a commodity. the exaggeration or fabrication of it all falls under an illusion to me and part of the business. I don;t expect a typical rapper to be a super gangster either though, but to feel like your personal history should reflect your music is unrealistic, if you categorize music as entertainment. I don’t expect a clear image or reflection of an artist in a room full of smoking mirrors. get what i mean
Nike Champ 718 Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
I get all that. Maybe I just take this too seriously, because I look at music as entertainment, but I want realistic entertainment. If you’re gonna go the imaginary route, do it from a storytelling perspective. Dudes like Ghostface and Nas are great at that. Ross, to me, actually believes that he is the character he created.
If you’re gonna portray yourself to be something you’re not, at least be able to rap. Dudes can be honest with who they are and still be able to rhyme. I got tired of the whole kingpin rap in the mid 90’s when damn near all of NY was biting off the Cuban Linx album. Ross is very late to the party with his gimmick.
C Reply:
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:06 pm
you must be the boss or one of his underlings. BOSS
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September 20th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I disagree with what Pharell is saying about Rick Ross killing it… I mean theres only a certain amount of times a rapper can make a track about how much money they spend, how many girls they can get, and how many drugs they have sold.
Although Pharell is right about HipHop changing every 10 years, I don’t think we are free of this saturated, proliferated money talk bullshit.
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September 20th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Music is all about entertaining. It’s story telling with a beat. It’s suppose to portray an emotion. Just like a soul singer may sing about a situation he/she never went through but can convince you they have (sounds like an actor a lil?)
I could care less if Ross was a Judge or FBI agent. It’s about the music. If you don’t like the music because you don’t think it’s good: Fair. If it’s because he was involved with law enforcement: nonsense.
That case let’s hate every artist that has security (they’re tough enough on their own right? They rhyme about it) and let’s hate on every artist who for a fact does not own all they say. Fake is fake. If You’re going to accuse one, then accuse them all.
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Angry Gillmore Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
*agreed* thank you!! that’s what i was struggling to translate lol
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skeet Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
That’s logical, but I think his past is enough to make most people toss that right out the window and hate on him anwyay. There is fake, and then there is being so 180 degrees the other direction that people just can’t ignore it. Ultimately it shouldn’t matter when it comes to the music (I find his stuff catchy most the time), but to some people it does.
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DJ Chuck NICE Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
I’ve been trying to think of something not too lengthy to say so here goes…lol…Here’s where the problem lies..Hip Hop is unlike any other genre of music, for the simple fact it ISN’T a genre..it is a CULTURE. A culture that originated in the streets, therefore adhering to street values, be them right or wrong. Now given the well known relationship btwn Law enforcement and minorities(Hip Hop listening minorities),the last thing ANY rapper, but especially a so-called drug rapper would want to be known as, although an honorable profession, is a former law enforcer. Even RR himself was hesitant to be truthful about it!! No other type of artist is held accountable for his lyrics like a rap artist, b/c for the most part it’sself written, moreso than any other style of music. Now the further we move away from Hip Hop’s beginings, generational-wise these fans don’t carry those same street values, resulting in more of these half-truths being overlooked. This is truly either entertainment or a hustle to this generation, whereas it was a way of life for us in the 80’s & 90’s. There’s a great generational divide in Hip Hop right now & it’s the answer to almost every debate in Hip Hop right now….I could go on forever….lol…maybe later…lol.
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Nike Champ 718 Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
@Chuck–That was 100% on point. I remember when rappers didn’t lie to the fans (us kids back then). If you were in the streets, you spoke about that life, but you spoke about taking the good with the bad. It was honest back then.
Thing have changed for the worst for this generation. I was watching a Doug E. Fresh interview, and he had to explain to the viewers what “biting” was. You know a generation is lost when that word has to be explained.
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September 21st, 2011 at 5:58 pm
rick ross is just ONE of the many frauds in Rap. How is he “killing it”?
For real P are you gonna try and pass that same attitude off with BBC? Are you gonna repackage that ice cream cone? Your OWN clothing line has ZERO direction. Fashion changes much more quickly than music, and your store on West Broadway has $20K worth of the same stuff as when you opened it…maybe ICONIX will fix that for you now that you’re all partners.
I think P just wanted the publicity by being up there with other rr supporters. I do not believe Lil Wayne keeps a chopper in his trunk either (see Ice T interview,) and rr talks about a fantasy life. Really, are you kidding me? This guy should be in Hip Hip PRISON…and P…really lame dude…your beats are tired, your clothing line…a lil boring…dude…how can you say basically “being fake is okay, as long as you have a direction.” Man, Lil Wayne and Baby didn’t even get outta the car in Compton?! I wouldn’t even go there but these guys are gangsters, right? You’d think they would have called ahead – “SooWoop we’re comin’ thru” GTFO – Weezey might be a bigger faker than rr, but we’re not gonna know… 50 can find out though, those rr videos are still hilarious…he’s got free time now…look out HAHA.
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