Yesterday (August 20), Pharrell Williams unveiled his new cover package for TIME magazine, titled “The New American Revolution.” As the iconic producer, fashion designer, and content creator revealed on social media, the collection of features are centered around “a Black Future in an America where all people are actually created equal” and sees additional contributions from 21 Savage, Kenya Barris, Tyler, The Creator, Naomi Osaka, and more. In addition, Pharrell also unveils a new single titled “Entrepreneur,” which features past collaborator JAY-Z and sees the two legends added to the message of equality and the reach to reach that goal over wax:
“Lies told to you, through you, ‘Tubes and Hulus, shows with no hues that look like you do, Black Twitter, what’s that? When Jack gets paid, do you? For every one Gucci, support two FUBUs/
Sipping Crip-a-Cola, consumer and an owner, ‘til we all vertically integrated from the floor up, D’Usse pour up, sip Ace till I throw up, like gang signs ‘cept I bang mines for both ya…/”
As part of the TIME feature, Pharrell further explained the meaning behind the powerful Neptunes-produced cut:
“The intention for a song was all about how tough it is to be an entrepreneur in our country to begin with… Especially as someone of color, there’s a lot of systemic disadvantages and purposeful blockages. How can you get a fire started, or even the hope of an ember to start a fire, when you’re starting at disadvantages with regards to health care, education, and representation?”
“Entrepreneur” follows last year’s “Blast Off,” Pharrell’s collaboration with Gesaffelstein that landed on the French beatsmith’s Hyperion project, and “Letter To My Godfather,” which ended up on the official soundtrack for the Netflix documentary The Black Godfather. More recently, he also provided assists for Snoh Aalegra and Run The Jewels’ respective tracks “Whoa (Remix)” and “Ju$t.”
Press play on the official visual for “Entrepreneur” below, which showcases different Black entrepreneurs and their successes.