Pharrell Grammy Hat and W Magazine Cover 2014: 'Happy' Hitmaker Talks Music, His Famous Vivienne Westwood Hat
Pharrell is on the cover of W Magazine's Art issue, where he discusses about his famous Vivienne Westwood hat, as well as his new understanding of rap that helped him produce music in other genres.
During the interview, the 41-year-old rapper/producer admitted how beliefs about himself has changed over time. "When I was young, I thought I knew everything," he said. "Now, I'm not sure if I know anything."
Pharrell then talked about his famous hat by the British high fashion designer. "It's a strange thing about the hat," he said. "I went into the store World's End in London with my friend Ronnie Newhouse to buy a pair of boots for my wife. While we were there, Ronnie [a creative director who understands the power and history of fashion like few others] told me that the hat was designed by Vivienne Westwood and was championed by her then husband, Malcolm McLaren, who managed the Sex Pistols. I bought two hats that day, and I wore one in a TV interview soon after. No one said anything about the hat. They didn't notice."
The "Happy" hitmaker also talked about his passion other than fashion: music. "Music will always be my first love," he said. "But the one thing I've learned is that this life is a movie, and I am a co-creator. It's a big movie, and there's a lot of creativity going on. As long as I play my part, it won't be over for quite a while."
Pharrell added that his love and understanding of rap led him to produce Robin Thicke's hit "Blurred Lines." "I realized that a lot of women didn't know how to fit in to the rhythm of Rap songs -- they needed music to bend curve a little bit," he said. "I was producing Robin Thicke, and he is a soulful White boy, and I thought we could take some chances. That song [‘Blurred Lines'] was what happened."