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Image via iamOTHER
Flying Lotus joined Pharrell and Scott Vener on the most recent episode of their Beats 1 radio show OTHERtone, and the trio discussed the current state of hip-hop, addressing criticisms of the genre not being in a “good place.” An 11-minute clip of the conversation was shared ahead of the broadcast of the full show, today at 3 p.m. EST.
Flying Lotus responded by saying that the more fractured media landscape of today allows for different styles within the genre to exist and be accepted. “Here’s the good part: There’s room for everybody now,” he said. “You can be super lyrical, […] you can say stuff, just ride the beat, barely rhyming, and it’s all good, as long as the beat’s hitting.”
Pharrell expanded on that point and added, “So many people just get caught up in the way the system used to be and what their expectations were, but that was a time when life was not dependent on the internet and your cell phone; it’s just a different world. The rules have changed, and I feel like there’s a lot of people that don’t know the world has changed.”
Pharrell also addressed the perception that contemporary pop music is unloved by “serious” music fans and that it’s ephemeral, disagreeing with that stance and comparing it to disco: “You’ve seen counter-culture become the coolest thing, then the 80s people were hating on the hippies… We’re just living in a time where there’s a major transition going on; it just feels a little weird, but I’m telling you, it’s kind of awesome.’
Watch the interview clip below.
