V Exclusive: Pharrell Talks About The State Of Music; Praises Rick Ross

Pharrell knows talent. For years, he’s been ahead of the curve in music, art and fashion.

He helped usher in a new wave of artists like the Clipse and Kelis and continues to influence hip-hop style with his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream clothing lines.

As a part of the producing duo, The Neptunes, Pharrell racked up a stable of plaques and hits records over the past decade. The group’s innovative and trending-setting sounds catapulted them into the spotlight and earned the team work with the likes of Jay-Z, Britney Spears and Snoop Dogg.

However, Skateboard P says the sound of music as we know it is undergoing some drastic transformations.

“If you notice every five years music changes and every ten years the decade previous is completely unrecognizable,” P says on the state of music. “Everything is cyclical.”

Pharrell names Rick Ross as one of hip-hop’s current MVPs.

“The way Ross is killing it right now. It’s been a minute since the last time we had somebody like him to come out and do what he’s doing or like a Wayne,” Pharrell tells VIBE.

“It’s just completely authentic. [Ross] knows what he wants to do —knows his sound, has a style, has a definitive position, has a perspective on the game and what he adds to it and how he’s gonna change it,” he continues. “So music is in a really, really good place now and I’m watching it. I’m in the studio and everything is changing.”

Stay tuned for more from VIBE’s exclusive interview with Pharrell.