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.
UPDATE: Sorry, this video disappeared with the death of Flash technology.
Want to see how he gives back to the sport? Watch this commercial for HP computers featuring Pharrell and his skateboard team.
UPDATE: Sorry, this video disappeared with the YouTube user account.
21 comments
Conahan
Why is it that showing any sort of discrimination (look it up, it means choosing) at all gets one labelled a hater? We show plenty of enthusiasm around here. There are some things that in our opinion suck donkey dick. I promise not to complain when express disdain for punk rock on your donkey fellatio fansite. Get a different buzzword twerps.
skatebroke
the p must stand for “poser”
cskate
Oh yeah, bring him up to the Northwest. We’ll set him straight.
cskate
I started skating before that guy was born, I’ll be skating after he’s done, which has probably already happened. This guy looks at skateboarding the way a real estate developer looks at wetland, just something to be drained and exploited.
I am looking forward to his book of all his bling custom jewelry. How f**king ridiculous can you get?
Kilwag
Don’t believe the hype! Looks like you bought it hook line and sinker. Afraid of change my ass. Sick of people trying to cash in on skateboarding is more like it it. N.E.R.D. — old news, big deal.
if he was “core” he wouldn’t bother making such pathetic attempts in the media to prove he a legit skater, he’s just carry on and ignore everyone. The more he protests, the more he comes off as a poser.
XETTO
FCK ALL OF YALL HATERS.
First off he does skate. Of course he may not be the best but who gives a shit. I’ve seen him skate before and im sure enough he’s probably better than you nerds flaming him.
Hah. All of you haters are ignorant little ho’s who are scared of change in skating. wake up it’s the 21st century.
And for the record he’s been doing “Skate” music for awhile back since 2000 with N.E.R.D ..yeah WAY before “kick push”
Ignorant fools, Get a life instead of worrying about Pharrells
BBC/ICECREAM/ELEMENT/KR3W all day errday fck you guys.
~X3TT0
nweyesk8
i need jesus to go and fetch me another drink
Abegnegal
Did the Pharellz Phan Klub catch wind of this site and had to let the haters in on da low down? Yo dawgz skateboarding don’t need Pharellz mad money bling and biaches. A skateboard makes a skateboarder, is cheap and is easily replaced. How does skateboy P fit in; he doesn’t. Oh dang dang can I get a witness, I just burned dat tool. Gimme a contract and rimz that spinz. Oh I can’t stop. You can’tstop me,what what. yeah. Playa out.
Kilwag
Jesus Penis?
Roxanne
Seriously, you people need to get a hobby, something to do with your life other than sitting down and wasting a half hour of your life hating somebody else. Hating is a sin, regardless of the type of hate. If you hate Pharrell so much then why are you sitting down and watching his interviews so closely as to be able to write down every quote and compare? Come on now, we’re not in English class, get over yourselves and get an effing life. You all need Jesus.
Kilwag
I guess George Bush is not a jackass either, I mean , look what he’s done for himself. He went from a cocaine and alcohol abusing draft dodging C student to President of the free world. What a winner.
Tu Madre
lol you can’t be serious. pharrel a jackass? the guy has made a name for himself, in the music world and the skating world and if that makes him a jackass then i want to be one too! he calls himself a skater because he skates, i call myself a singer cause i sing, u need to call yourself a hater cause all you do is hate! get on his level and then come back to me but until then ha get out of here!
concretin
So he makes a bunch of money, can skate when and where he wants to(but somehow, he doesn’t… priorities baby, priorities), and he’s hooked up a few of his friends who skate… BFD! For skateboarding as a whole, he’s done nada. (Nor have I really, BUT I never claimed that I have!)
Melissa, we’re not willing to argue with you. You’re a fan of him, we’re not. Isn’t that ’nuff said? (Brilliant job? Is she serious? And a book about HIS jewelry? So do you think he a skilled jeweler, or he is just writin’ checks…)
NEXT… oh wait, this is from April… Next + 3 months…
Kilwag
She believes the hype.
nweyesk8
Where is your website? 2. Learn the proper usage of punctuation 3. Look up the word synonym 4. You are a little late in defending Pharrell, we forgot who he was within a day or two of this article’s original post.
melissa
look you idiot pharrell does not deserve anyfing like this from you or anyone for that matter…Hes aloud to do what ever he wants and if he wants to be called skateboard P well let him cos’..hes the one with all the money and a brilliant job not you…so why dont all you pharrell haters leave him alone and if you have anyfing else to say tell me on my website cos im willing to argue with you for pharrell’s sake
Kilwag (k.ed)
Word.
mc
Worry about truth and beauty will follow.
If you don’t think so… you a ho.
I rap so I say I’m a rapper.
chris
its funny how people think they are the sport. they get jelous when someone very successful in something else tries to invade.
isnt any board sport just for the love. he says hes a skater cause he skates. doesnt every body fuckin else.
and doesnt style define the sport. i guess your sport is full of technique and no art.
Kilwag (k.ed)
He must have heard you. The shoes are gone. They were horrid. The whole line looks amateurish, in a bad way.
egbert
Those Ice Cream shoes are so awful looking that I don’t think he’ll be doing much for the “sport” in about a year.