Pharrell’s career stretches over two decades, and in the past year alone the multi-talented producer and rapper reached new milestones that he never thought were possible. With his many successes considered, it’s hard to believe that P once thought he’d always be the man behind-the-scenes.
The 41-year-old sat down for an interview with Oprah on OWN TV, and in one preview clip he admits that early in his career, while creating hits for artists like Jay Z, he became content with the idea that he’d never be the star after his solo dreams “kept getting rained on.”
“I had accepted that I was gonna be a writer and producer, and I was happy to be the guy standing next to the guy,” P told Oprah.
“And when I was given the opportunity to make a solo album the first time, there was more braggadocio than there was purpose and intention. I beat myself up about that because I was like, ‘here you are being given a platform and all you wanna do is brag.”
Maybe he wasn’t a breakout star at that very moment, but things certainly changed over the years that followed. And while his career continued to take off, Pharrell also welcomed a son into the world, and decided to name him Rocket Ayer Williams.
“In the same way that the Indians named their children behind a force or animal or an element, we named him after a man-made machine that was meant to go up, meant to ascend,” he explained, adding that it also incorporated some of his favorite musicians.
“Metaphorically, it was because of Stevie Wonder’s “Rocket Love,” Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” and Herbie Hancock’s “Rocket.”
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