Pharrell Williams thinks he’ll never be as successful as Jay Z.
The ‘Happy’ hitmaker thought he could compete with the ‘Holy Grail’ rapper when he started releasing solo material but admits he was wrong and was trying to be someone he wasn’t when he recorded his debut ‘In My Mind’ in 2006.
He told the Guardian Weekend magazine: "It was in my mind, but not in my heart. It was this caricature that I’d built in my mind, that fitted in with what Snoop and Jay were doing.
"Some of the things I said on that record, all the bragging, it’s not necessary. It doesn’t say anything about you, apart from how shallow you are."
He went on : "[I thought I was] this competitive guy in the music industry, who admired my peers and felt he needed to compete with the races that they designed. But in life you’re meant to race against yourself."
Pharrell, whose second solo record ‘G I R L’ has hit the number one spot on the UK Album Chart, admits "Jay was never going to race with any of us."
He explained: "That was just my delusion. Because his career runs laps around people. And he runs laps around people, lyrically. He’s a philosopher and a poet."
The 40-year-old star feels more comfortable with who he is these days and insists he isn’t interested in living a party lifestyle.
When asked if he has ever taken drugs, he replied: "Very rarely – I’ve had my share of pot brownies – but it’s not my thing. I spend most of my time working. Yes [I am a workaholic], lucidity is important to me."
Pharrell Williams: I’ll never be as big as Jay Z
