Although he once rapped alongside coke-rap titans Clipse on a number of their tracks, Pharrell's show-stopping appearance on Future's drug-slinging anthem "Move That Dope" was a little shocking, to say the least. Nowadays, the rapper/producer/singer is best known for his omnipresence on pop radio, whether it's via "Get Lucky," "Blurred Lines" or, most recently, his own "Happy," taken from the soundtrack of a children's film. In a new interview with Billboard, Future explains how Pharrell was (fittingly) worried about the "backlash" he might receive from the fans he's gained from his more pop-focused material:
"It was a difficult situation for him," Future said. "He was going to the Oscars, and whatever he was in was a different music space, and to get him to do a verse on a song with that subject matter was difficult. He was like, 'Man, I don't know if I should do this, 'cause I don't want, like, a big backlash on me. I love this song, but I don't want a backlash.' I was like, 'Man, no, it's a positive message. The verse is telling people to let everything go. You have a message that's positive throughout your verse. I think people need to hear that, 'cause your voice is such a big voice in hip-hop.' And he was down with it in the end."
Props to Pharrell (and his "Gandalf hat") for making the call to appear on the song. His lightning-quick verse is arguably the best on "Move That Dope," and it doesn't look like he's gotten much hate for it so far.
Do you think he made the right call?
[via]