On Wednesday (Nov. 13), Pharrell Williams made an appearance on the cover of GQ’s “2024 Men of the Year” issue. Within its pages, the music and fashion icon spoke on a variety of topics, including working with Louis Vuitton, moving to Paris with his family, Future’s MIXTAPE PLUTO, and how divided the United States has become.
The Virginia icon also explained why he auctioned off prized jewelry and other classic items on his JOOPITER platform in 2022. “You never realize how much all the stuff you have weighs on you, but it does,” he admitted. “You don’t know it until you get rid of it. The muscles in my back, now they work without straining. When you let that go, man, you feel so free. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in the world. It’s still there. And whatever happens to them happens to them.”
Notably, Drake became one of Pharrell’s biggest buyers, which came to light in the former’s “Jumbotron S**t Poppin’” music video. Unfortunately, beef between the OVO head honcho and Pusha T eventually landed Pharrell in the crossfire. “I melt down the chains that I bought from yo' boss, give a f**k about all of that heritage s**t, since [Virgil Abloh] not around, the members done hung up the Louis, they not even wearing that s**t,” Drake rapped on Travis Scott’s “MELTDOWN.” In Pharrell’s defense, Kendrick Lamar attacked Drake on “Euphoria,” which in turn sparked another Drizzy diss toward the N.E.R.D. frontman on “Family Matters.”
When asked about the conflict and the expensive pieces he relinquished, Pharrell stated that Drake is “a fan of music” and “those artifacts are a part of it.” He also made it clear that the disses didn't “strike” him at all. “I guess some things are not for me to understand. When you let things go, a huge part of it is actually letting go,” he expressed. “That was the purpose... That’s why I’m letting it go.”