Veteran journalist Roland Martin has gone off on Pharrell Williams for dismissing politics as “a magic trick” that “causes division,” calling the producer’s comments “some of the dumbest I ever heard.”
Pharrell made the controversial statement during his fifth annual Black Ambition Demo Day in Miami, where he also received a ceremonial key to Miami-Dade County. The event, designed to empower Black entrepreneurs, became a flashpoint when the Virginia native told the crowd he hates politics, suggesting that choosing sides only divides people. Martin, host of Roland Martin Unfiltered, wasn’t having it. In a fiery segment, he spent nearly 15 minutes dismantling Pharrell’s remarks, pointing out that politics plays a direct role in everything from Grammy Awards to wrongful death settlements.
Martin accused Pharrell of ignoring the realities that shape his own career. “You cannot hold a music festival unless you get permits, unless you follow city law. Who do you think sets those rules? That’s politics,” he said, referring to Pharrell’s Something in the Water festival in Virginia Beach.