Music super-producer Pharrell Williams delivered a political speech Monday at VH1’s 2017 Hip Hop Honors: The ’90s Game Changers, urging viewers to “open your eyes” to the racial unrest in America.
“For everybody at home watching this and acting like y’all don’t see what’s going on out there, you gotta open your eyes,” the Happy singer said. “And for everybody else in this country, the human condition is important. Don’t think just because they’re coming at the African Americans and they’re coming at the Jewish community and they’re coming at the Hispanics that it can’t be you.”
Williams appeared to warn white Americans that they’re being used by white nationalists and neo-Nazis. “They’re using you, okay?” he said. “You should understand that they could change their minds and it might not be about black, white, big, skinny or small, it might be about facial features, it might be about hair color — don’t act like they didn’t do that before, okay?”
The Grammy-winner continued, saying, “they keep talking about a wall, but the enemy is this divisive mentality. It’s on this side of the wall guys and girl, it’s already here, okay? The white nationalists are walking towards your future. What you gonna do?”
Monday’s event was meant to pay homage to chart-topping recording artists, including the night’s honorees Mariah Carey and rap moguls Master P and Jermaine Dupri.
Williams was an early supporter of Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, endorsing the former Democratic candidate in March 2014. Williams told GQ magazine: “We’re about to have a female president. Hillary’s gonna win.”
The Hollywood movie producer is set to headline the Dave Matthews Band-hosted benefit concert in Charlottesville, VA, later this week. The fundraising concert in Charlottesville will help support those affected by the deadly violence that broke out between white supremacist and Antifa activists last month. The star-studded event will also feature performances from Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Chris Stapleton, and more.
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