Once again keeping their mantra-fulfilling promise of providing listeners with "newness, freshness, and what-is-thatness," Pharrell's increasingly necessary Beats 1 show OTHERtone gives us two particularly stacked hours with its third proper episode on Sunday. Joining Pharrell this week, in a studio you can only imagine is buoyed by the best candles and general mood ephemera money can buy, is none other than Puff Daddy — by no means a stranger to the power of the Pharrell collaboration. Puff is joined by the man behind the music of Entourage Scott Vener, bass genius Thundercat, and comedian Chelsea Peretti. As you surely know, Puff's latest single — the Puff Daddy & the Family track "Finna Get Loose" — features some truly N.E.R.D.-nodding contributions from Skateboard P.
In fact, Pharrell reveals on this episode of OTHERtone that Puff was actually the initial source of inspiration behind N.E.R.D. — citing a conversation in which Puff told him "You're a rockstar." Elsewhere, Pharrell details the first time he met Puff at the Daddy's House studio. The meeting, initially revolving around a discussion of Bad Boy Records alumni Total, eventually birthed the Ma$e classic "Lookin' At Me" — produced by The Neptunes and featuring a classic turn from Puff on the immediately evocative hook. Speaking on how that song changed his life, Pharrell is hilariously interrupted by Puff with a faux apology. "I didn't know you wanted to be a world famous international superstar," says Puff. "It won't happen again."
Thundercat also stops by to join the proceedings, boasting a discography accurately categorized by Pharrell as "otherworldly black excellence" — with particular praise paid to the recent Thundercat track "Them Changes." Comedian and Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Chelsea Peretti joins the awesomely OTHER conversation, sharing her affinity for E-40 and his distinctive Bay Area stylings. We won't spoil the untold treasures of Pharrell's latest two-hour bout of creativity-promoting mysticism here, so just tune in on Sunday at 12 p.m. PST / 3 p.m. EST.
