Rapper and record producer Pharrell Williams, or simply Pharrell, has a new theory that is, well, difficult to understand or explain fully.

The “new black” phenomenon, according to Pharrell, is a mindset thing; the “new black” does not blame other races for issues facing the black community, he says.

Yesha Callaha of Clutch Magazine wrote:

[quote_box_center]”Last time I checked being Black was more than just a mentality. If that was the case, then I could choose to be just about any other race because, you know, my mentality wants to be White on Friday, so I can use White privilege for just one day.”[/quote_box_center]

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58 COMMENTS

  1. He, like many of this generation is confused. His money and status is also giving him some real “blurred lines.” If his ass was broke, working for minimum wage and getting pulled over by the cops every other day. his black theory would sound as stupid as he does. See if he can get happy about that ish!

    • What generation are you talking about? Hes 41 years old, not broke (now) and made his own way doing his own thing that “this generation” you speak of are admiring and copying and making their own way. What Pharrell said is true we can no longer blame other races for our personal situations. My President is Black and he didnt get there by blaming other races for his life situations. He pulled himself up and made his own way, just lke Pharrell who is still one of the most sought after producers/writers/performers today after being in the business for over 2 decades. He wasnt born rich. And as a matter of fact celebrities get it worse from the cops “every other day” but it comes down to how you living. Justin Beiber is rich and not black and gets pulled over “every other day” cuz thats how hes living. I guess he should blame the white man?

      • True we can’t make excuses but racism is very systematic. Not everyone will have the opportunities that Pharrell and Obama have had no matter how hard they work. They are individual cases, not the standard. Don’t blame the white man, blame the white hegemonies.

      • Pharrell made his own opportunities on the backs of countless others that made it POSSIBLE for some of us to succeed. He stands on the broken bodies of MANY of our ancestors who died so that he can make his inane statements centuries later!

      • I’m pretty sure the injustice government and jail system is run by white folk amongst other things.

    • There is NO confusion there. He is suggesting that the African American community take responsibility for its own demise and turn it around through positive activity and cultural tactics. Pharrell is a grown ass man, doing grown ass business in a grown ass reality. Confused? Hmmmm…Perhaps it is you who is confused and stuck in 20th Century thinking and lost in the trap of slave mentality. Now here is where you are stupid…People make minimum wages because they lack drive to move to the next level or they are complacent, people who get pulled over by the police because they are in most cases suspect or breaking the law and last but not least. Pharrell is not ocming from I am rich and you are poor. He is saying once again ” BE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT LIFE IS GIVING AND EXAMINE WHAT YOU ARE GIVING AND GETTING AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR SITUATION.” So, if there is any HAPPY to be happy about check this out..He actually changed the sound waves. Everywhere you go…you will hear “HAPPY” uplifting the spirit! and of course he has run to the bank several times. This song will ensure the security of his grandchildren. HAPPY will be playing on the moon. NOW! who is stupid. Him or you?

      • You have it completely wrong and you sound absolutely uniformed. I find your position on minimum wage to be highly insensitive and very uneducated. While the prospect of a quality higher education becomes more and more unattainable due to rising cost of education more low income Americans are being shut out of the “American Dream.” Thus forcing many families and individuals to make very hard choices about how to pay the bills and the choice to work in any capacity is not a lack of drive. Furthermore, you continue to display your lack of real world knowledge about the black experience in America. In NYC between 2010 & 2013 police stopped and frisked over 2 million people 90% of them were innocent and 55% of them were black. Using the success of a few black people here and there is not evidence of a greater system of equality. That is a purely anecdotal argument without merit. You fail to examine the full scope of the black experience with regard to no access to quality education, the prison industrial complex, and lack of job opportunity. These things among many others are systematically designed to be obstacles for all of us and only a few of us were able to traverse the course. We can not take the success of a few and say the rest aren’t doing their part. When DuBois became a Harvard educated man or when Joseph Rainy became the first black elected to congress or when Thurgood Marshall became the first black Supreme Court Justice all of us were still being subjected to some form of oppression whether overtly or systematically. Their success in America is not indicative of the black reality in whole and should not be used as evidence to justify or blame the circumstances of black America on black America.

  2. His ass is not broke because he applied himself and took positive action. Yes, it’s not always that easy, but most people, black, brown, red, white, you name it, end up broke primarily because of poor decision-making, from middle school onward, exposure to a cultural mindset which casts blame upon society, a group of people, a dysfunctional family member, whatever, without balancing that by looking inward. Racism is real, but so is an unhealthy dose of external locus of control. A lot of individuals just make terrible decisions, have kids when they’re young, and then wonder why they’re stuck working minimum wage jobs. That’s why racial stereotypes exist. Just an opinion.

    • You are right. He educated himself on how to build his brand as a business. He didn’t take any shortcuts and his success sure wasn’t easily earned I assure you. Hard work and recognition does not go hand in hand. The recognition comes when all the blood sweat and tears have passed. You are looking at a man who was once worried about how he was going to get people to listen to his music. How he was going to make an impact with the business he put so much time and effort into. You don’t become rich by clubbing every weekend and using your spare time unwisely. You become rich through education, investing, excellent money management, and acquiring assets that eventually can supplement your income. In which you reinvest that. It goes so much deeper but don’t just assume the wealthy are greedy. They are wealthy for a reason.

  3. Some very closed minded comments….give me a moment to form a appropriately worded arguement. Be ready, a lot fo you will not like what I have to say.

  4. New paradigm. Pharel is on point. Times change. Awareness changes. The blame game is becoming too redundant and has stunted our growth as a people. If we aren’t going to war, the talking is pointless. The only other option is to push through and create the life we want – while taking responsibility for the setbacks. Yes there are walls – but look at our bloodline. We’ve torn down so many walls with organized action… not chatter.

  5. I’m sorry but Pharrell makes more sense to me than the professor. After all the struggle and fight for equality, we still got a world called Hip Hop that puts black ignorance on FRONT STREET, gangs from coast to coast, baby mamas on Maury errrryday – dumb athletes getting paid millions to buy cars and jewelry and not invest in the community – lil juvenile assh0les wearing pants sagging to their knees – while their parents are being just as triflin or worst.

    I recognize and appreciate the struggle but there comes a time when we need to focus on the road blocks we have created for ourselves.

  6. I guess Trayvon was walking around being an OLD BLACK, because if he were a NEW BLACK he would still be alive today.Jordan Davis should have had NEW BLACK mentality instead of acting like an OLD BLACK. He should have been playing HAPPY loud. Michael Dunn SURELY would have asked to be friends with him and did a happy dance with them. We shouldn’t blame these white men for these OLD BLACK.
    I kid, but this NEW BLACK crap is ridiculous and it makes it seem as if black folks simply blame racism for our ills, when we know that’s not the case. Racism plays a part in the state of our being in this country. But MOST black people live day to day living our lives the best we can. No we aren’t millionaire entertainers. No we are not foot-shuffling sell outs who are “Happy” for acceptance. We work hard everyday. New Black is a FARCE….

  7. That’s crazy. Brain washed brother being used to brain wash others. People like him are a failure to their race

    • Sounds like you’re brainwashed. The more you blame others for your own downfall the more you are going to keep falling. Pharrell has a point.

  8. When a white man sees us he doesn’t distinguish between old and new blacks.
    He will want to know if your going to act like a NUGGA though.

    Some blacks do nothing and make excuses for their situation true enough.
    But as blacks we are all born into economic inequality and economic segregation.

    Exposed to an environment that we did not create for ourselves.
    And many blacks have adapted to that environment without complaint.

    Many adapted to slavery as well but that did not make it ok.
    Yes blacks have made progress in America. But it is sad that we still have racial obstacles to overcome.

    When you have money of course you will be surrounded by whites telling you racism is gone and that your no longer being discriminated against.
    Run out of money and it’s welcome back to being just a regular OLD black!

  9. I think that there is a balance between black persons, that are wanting to show what we are made of, and those of us that just want to show out! Yes there is racism/racial injustice that is out there based on “nothing” but fear and hate. Yet there is fuel given to those “racists” based on our own behavior, that makes them “feel justified” for killing us/locking us up/harassing us in the streets.

    I don’t think that this “New Black” mentality is new at all. It’s just not popular…because it’s not negative enough to be put in the press for the entertainment of idiots. My Grandfather was one of the first black surgeons in the United states, and he experienced real in your face racism! Back then white society was backed by the local government, to impede your progress as a person of color. This is where the mentality of blacks “blaming others” came from. It was real…but now it’s illegal to block any person based on race for obvious reasons.

    But make no mistake, racism is still very prevalent in this country! It just doesn’t have the strength or the backing of old, to keep one from getting over! Truth.

    • I bet your grandfather had some real hard stories and bitter experiences while forging his own path to success, especially back in those days of “legal racism”. The true mark of a person is how they succeed against odds and opposition in many cases.

      So many of our people don’t want to do anything that’s “too hard” or that takes too much effort. You see this everywhere. Many will settle for basic subsistence jobs be happy with that, never striving for more. Those who dare to try to excel in academia and elevate, both in behavior and lifestyle are accused of “selling out” or “trying to be white”. Last time I checked, whites, asians and other race people don’t own being successful. We can do that, too, it just takes being willing to suffer a bit (studying hard, foregoing “good times” and material things, not being popular, not being considered “cool”, not having flashy new clothes all the time, not having a hot car, etc). So many can’t even handle THAT. That is why they stay stuck in the place they are, but at the same time throw hatred and anger at those black people they see who ARE working hard to be something. That is not the white/asian/whoever else’s fault. That’s on us.

      You have to rise above society’s little “traps” and set high standards for yourself. Your grandfather is one example of a person who did that. We need so many more like that nowadays. The number of “strivers” seems to be dwindling.

  10. Jumbo that is some bullwhip u people know what the duck u people did, and profit from so lay off of Cheryl Corbin is right

  11. Money is the worlds most powerful narcotic. It can make you feel you’re on a Zoloft induced high, where there are no more pains or challenges. This will eventually subside, to some degree, but while under it’s influences you say stupid shit. He is tripping/high and feels he is no longer apart of the war. He will eventually come down because money can’t completely insulate you from being a black man in America or anywhere for that matter. I’ve traveled the world and felt racism in many continents: Australia, Europe, New Zealand. He’ll come around but I that probably won’t make the news. No one is trying to take away Ferrell’s accomplishments but do black people have to rise that high to escape racism? The everyday black person is deals with that stank racism. Does the everyday white have to deal with racism…NO! So why do Black folks have to be exceptional just to breath and exhale with ease?

  12. Pharrell is a very astute and capable businessman. His thoughts on the African American community and quite forward in the 21st Century Diaspora. This is the era of “GRIND” and “HUSTLE”… a survival of the fittest. Pointing fingers and blaming everyone else for our own lack of achievement is passe’. The doors are open if one wishes to walk through them. The downtrodden do it every day. It is a matter of mind over matter and condition through determination and a strong will to succeed. The question is… what are you willing to do to succeed in life and what are you willing to give back to the community once you have transited? Pharrell’s POV is so right on time. Take responsibility and be the example, the message, the vision that you want to see in your community without raping it of its precious resource. DO SOMETHING POSITIVE TO MAKE A CHANGE! STOP COMPLAINING AND BLAMING!

      • ok here it is; stop begging, complaining and crying about things over 100 years ago, get your ass up and force those doors open or go around.

  13. The minstrel-mutt Pharell Williams is just another one in the line of ignorant black people in Hollywood. Period. What about Kendrick Johnson, was he an “old black”, or what about Oscar Grant, should he have stopped “acting like an old black” so that the cops wouldn’t have shot him? What about Renisha McBride, was she too “old black” ? Was that why she got her head blown off, simply because she asked for help? Same thing with Trayvon Martin.. The thing you negropeans don’t understand is that IT DOES NOT MATTER how hard-working you are if you’re black in USA. Just ask Henry L. Gates , wasn’t he ARRESTED trying to get into his own HOME? He’s a respectable man, ain’t he?

    God, some of you negroes are so out of touch with reality that it ain’t even funny.
    Doing what you can to live a good life should be OBVIOUS to anyone, but you can’t ignore the FACT that white people have a 400 year HEAD START over you. It’s just that simple. You can’t accuse black people of blaming whites, when they didn’t even put themselves in the predicament that they are in.

    Most of the black entertainers don’t own SHIT. Do you think Williams owns the distribution rights to his own music? I doubt it. Does he own an independent record label (which also distributes his music) ? I doubt it. Same thing with black Tv-Producers such as Shonda Rhimes. Does she have her OWN outlet in which to release her material without outsider influence (i.e a black owned television network. (and no BET ain’t black owned anymore, and it’s pure filth anyways) ) ? No. Oprah is in the same predicament.. These Negroes are there because white hegemony doesn’t deem them a threat to their establishment. They can be removed quicker than Oprah eats a donut if need be.

    You fuckers should have listened to Malcolm X when you had the chance.

  14. as long as Pharrell has a Social Security Number he is a SLAVE! New Black my ass. I don’t see him nor TI building communities, hotels, shopping malls, nor creating jobs, Get Real. Just like the sister Cheryl Corbin said. “If his ass was broke, working for minimum wage and getting pulled over by the cops every other day, his black theory would sound as stupid as he does. Thank you Dr. Carr, this poor little boy has lost his way.

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