Pharrrell hits back at critics, now an even bigger jackass.

PR Inside reports:

Hip-hop producer PHARRELL WILLIAMS has hit back at his critics in the skateboarding world, accusing them of being ungrateful for the publicity he has given the extreme sport.

Pharrell Williams and Skateboarding

Oops. Sorry Pharrell. We in the skateboarding community should all be on our knees thanking you for making skateboarding popular. You’ve done so much for our sport. Really, thanks. In fact, you are too generous with your time and money, maybe you should take a vacation from promoting skateboarding. We’ll take over from here. There’s still so much work to be done… Maybe if we were more grateful, Pharrell wouldn’t have to hire a PR firm fight back against naysayers.

From PR Inside: PHARRELL WILLIAMS HITS BACK AT SKATE CRITICS

Hip-hop producer PHARRELL WILLIAMS has hit back at his critics in the skateboarding world, accusing them of being ungrateful for the publicity he has given the extreme sport.
Williams, who has produced hits for the likes of JAY-Z, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and GWEN STEFANI, regularly refers to himself as Skateboy P, and also has a skate-inspired fashion line called Ice Cream.
He experienced a backlash from the sport’s fanatics last year (05) when they printed T-shirts reading, ‘Pharrell Can’t Skate’ – accusing the star of exploiting the industry to increase his street credibility.
He tells the New York Post, “I was honoured. I never said I was going to skate. I can’t see why anyone would ever be mad at me for helping to push the door open for everybody else. It really influenced a big part of my life, just like music did. “I learned jazz progressions in band, and I gave entirely back to that world.I go and speak in high school, colleges – Oxford once, Harvard twice. It’s not a new thing for me to give back. I just give back in every way shape and form.”

It really irks me that he thinks he’s doing anything for skateboarding. Sure he sponsors a team, but he mainly just makes money by being associated with skateboarding. If you think of it in the same way that Vision Streetwear did so much for skateboarding in the late 80’s.. sure. Thanks man. You’re doing God’s work, just like Skater McGee.

From United Press International – USA: Pharrell Williams has big plans

NEW YORK Nov. 26 2006(UPI) — U.S. rapper and producer Pharrell Williams, a sci-fi fan and skateboarder, is planning to open an ice cream parlor in Manhattan next year.

In an interview with the New York Post, Williams talked about his plans, saying he considers the work he does as his way of giving back to the community. As a black skateboarder, Williams said he’s presenting the media with something unconventional, thus breaking stereotypes.

This week, Williams is releasing “Team Ice Cream Vol. 1 Skate Video,” which features footage of his skate team’s world tour. Next, Williams told the Post, he wants to work on a book about all his custom gold jewelry.

As for the ice cream shop, Williams said he plans to open it in April.

Williams, who said he never gets the chance to skate anymore, told the Post he became interested in the sport when his dad’s best friend, a surfer, got him his first skateboard.

Interesting… I thought he I never said I was going to skate. I guess he’s just keeping his word. Here’s another good one:

As a black skateboarder, Williams said he’s presenting the media with something unconventional, thus breaking stereotypes.

Yeah… Breaking stereotypes? You’ve got to be kidding! I’m confused as to how hip hop style in skateboarding is breaking any stereotypes. Reenforcing them? Yes.

I had another newspaper link archived, but the web site is one of those where they make you pay for anything older than two weeks old, thus insuring that nobody will read it again. It was the Hartford Courant and it was actually titled “Skateboarding Has A New Best Friend.” Uh, yeah. Is his name Barney? I love you. You love me. Blah blah blah blah.

Skateboarding Has A New Best Friend. … When rapper-producer-singer Pharrell Williams became famous a few years ago armed with the nickname “Skateboard P,” he brought the mixture of
hip-hop and …

Back in 2005, the team captain was shot in the jaw at a party. It’s an amusing read. The kid was only 19 years old and it shows with quotes like this:

Still, Kennedy is confident his career will be stronger than ever once he recuperates. That, he says, will be his revenge. “It will eat them up for me to be shining and doing what I’m doing,” he said, referring to the man who shot him. “What eats them up is that I got a Chrysler and an Avalanche on 26s. It’s sad because it’s really on them. It motivates me to just get a Bentley and really wreck it. All you can do is be happy you’re here and live it up and just shine.”

Is wreck it some new slang, or does he really want to buy an expensive car just so he can destroy it and prove how wealthy he is? Must be part of Pharrell’s mentoring on breaking stereotypes. I can’t seem to find a web site for his team other than the Ice Cream store that sells a bunch of second rate Paul Frank rip offs and the Ice Cream Skate Team DVD. There’s video on the MySpace page. The team can skate. The video editing? Not so much. MySpace’s video handling blows. Finding the embed code takes way too many clicks.

Want to see how he gives back to the sport? Watch this commercial for HP computers featuring Pharrell and his skateboard team.