Pharrell Williams is truly the GOAT. Since the Neptunes’ formation, he has left his mark on nearly every genre of popular music with astonishing success. However, he also branched out into film, particularly with his contributions to the Despicable Me franchise. In fact, his sound has become so ingrained in the brand that new music from him inevitably appears every time a movie comes out.
This week, the Virginia native debuted his latest single “Double Life,” the latest addition to the Despicable Me 4 soundtrack. He previously debuted a clip from the record on May 8. Overall, however, this is proper pop music, blending his funky rhythmic style with garage rock elements to create a unique psychedelic vibe. It looks like this will be the first of a handful of recordings that Skateboard P will contribute to the soundtrack. He will also reunite with Heitor Pereira to co-write the film’s soundtrack. We’ll be excited to find out what other secrets he has up his sleeve when the movie hits theaters on July 3.
What’s interesting about his foray into animation is that Despicable Me could very well be his springboard into animated films. Earlier this month, the acclaimed producer unveiled the first trailer for his upcoming biographical musical Piece By Piece. The upcoming film will be a LEGO-based movie with cameos from Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar and more. In an interview with Variety on June 6, P confirmed that there will be new music in the film.
Pharrell Williams drops ‘Double Life’ and talks segment by segment
“There are two new pieces. One is made for a specific scene. The other is made for a specific scene but tells a story; it’s like my thesis— [which is] This awareness that God is the greatest, just understanding that this is the story,” he said. “The rest of the music is Chadian music [Hugo, the Neptunes co-founder] I wrote some songs together, as well as songs I wrote myself, and songs we produced and wrote for other people. This is a very interesting music documentary biopic. Check out his latest song above and voice your thoughts in the comments section below.
quote lyrics
Some of your dirty deeds have come to light (yes, why would you?)
Speed up the hill until the brakes come off (Yeah, hey)
You were seen fighting
Am I right?
About the author
Aron A. is HotNewHipHop’s Features Editor. He began his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, comprehensively documenting the biggest stories in culture over the past few years. During his tenure, Aaron has helped introduce many hot emerging artists to our audiences, identify regional trends and highlight hip-hop music from around the globe. As a music journalist based in Canada, he’s also making a concerted effort to shine a spotlight on artists from north of the border in Canada as part of Rise & Grind, a weekly interview series he created and launched in 2021. Extensive interviews with beloved figures in culture tell the story. These include industry veterans (Quality Control co-founders Kevin “Coach K” Lee, Wayno Clark), powerhouse producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane) and next generation stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivioforeign, Denzel Curry). Aron has also written cover stories with Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples and Bobby Shmurda, among others.
