Pharrell Williams Says He'd Now Tweak The Title Of This Iconic 2000s Pop Song
Pharrell Williams has revealed that he wouldn’t use the word “slave” if he made Britney Spears’ hit “I’m a Slave 4 U” in 2024.
Williams, who wrote and produced the track with Chad Hugo as the production duo The Neptunes, recently told The Hollywood Reporter that the word is one you wouldn’t “play with these days.”
“And there’s many different angles, right? Obviously, what my people and my DNA and my ancestors had to endure and overcome, but then there’s also all the atrocity that happens in human trafficking every day,” the artist said. “So, no, that’s not something I would say.”
He added that there are “a lot” of songs that show “what was contextually acceptable at one time is no longer acceptable” in another.
“But I think that’s for the better,” he said.
He continued, “I think there are a lot of songs where I wouldn’t say half the things that I said before. As the time changes, so does mentality and hopefully it evolves to a better place. And it’s not about being politically correct, it’s about being universally aware.”
The song, which led to an iconic performance from Spears at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, was initially meant for Janet Jackson before it was passed off to the “Toxic” singer.
The track ushered in a new era for Spears at the time and marked The Neptunes’ first global hit.
“She was eager and ready to transition. And I put a fire under that notion. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s how you feeling? OK, let’s put this fire under that. Let’s go,’” said Williams of recording the song with Spears.
THR noted that Spears appears in Morgan Neville’s upcoming documentary film “Piece by Piece,” a look at Williams’ life and career through Lego animation.
The artist revealed that he hasn’t spoken to the pop icon in “maybe 10-plus years.”
“I think I’ve seen her in the elevator one time. I think we were all going into the same place or something,” he said. “I can remember exactly where it was, and she had her sunglasses on, and I was like, ‘I know that’s Britney.’ Maybe she doesn’t remember me. That’s fine.’”
Aside from “I’m a Slave 4 U,” Williams and Hugo also worked with the singer on her songs “Boys” and “Why Should I Be Sad.” The latter was their last collaboration, from her 2007 album “Blackout.”