Veteran journalist Roland Martin has gone off on Pharrell Williams for dismissing politics as “a magic trick” that “causes division,” calling the producer’s comments “some of the dumbest I ever heard.”
Pharrell made the controversial statement during his fifth annual Black Ambition Demo Day in Miami, where he also received a ceremonial key to Miami-Dade County. The event, designed to empower Black entrepreneurs, became a flashpoint when the Virginia native told the crowd he hates politics, suggesting that choosing sides only divides people.
Martin, host of Roland Martin Unfiltered, wasn’t having it. In a fiery segment, he spent nearly 15 minutes dismantling Pharrell’s remarks, pointing out that politics plays a direct role in everything from Grammy Awards to wrongful death settlements.
“What Pharrell just said there is really some of the dumbest I ever heard,” Martin began. “Pharrell said, ‘I hate politics. It’s a magic trick. It’s not real. When you pick a side, you pick division.’ Okay, Pharrell, when somebody’s running for office, somebody’s going to win. If you vote, you got to pick.”
Martin drew an analogy between the voting process and Pharrell’s own Grammy wins. “You got 13 Grammys, which means you were nominated a number of times. That means people voted. In politics, that’s the same thing. A committee—called voters—assessed the work and decided who should win. That’s politics.”
He went on to highlight how political decisions directly affected Pharrell’s own life. “Your cousin Donovan Lynch was shot and killed in Virginia Beach. The city settled the lawsuit for $3 million. That’s called politics. Elected leaders had to approve that settlement.”
Martin accused Pharrell of ignoring the realities that shape his own career. “You cannot hold a music festival unless you get permits, unless you follow city law. Who do you think sets those rules? That’s politics,” he said, referring to Pharrell’s Something in the Water festival in Virginia Beach.
He also called out Pharrell’s comments on meritocracy and race. “You said, ‘What are we going to do? You didn’t get a job because you’re Black.’ What are you talking about? That’s that MAGA nonsense,” Martin snapped. “Black folks have been highly qualified for centuries and were overlooked by people. Politics made it possible for you to even sit there and have that event.”
The media personality capped off his critique by calling Pharrell’s statement “irrational,” especially given the setting. “You accepted a key to Miami-Dade County at your Black Ambition event, and you said politics isn’t real. That key was approved through politics,” he said. “How do you not see that?”
Martin ended by urging influential figures like Pharrell to think before speaking on public platforms. “If you are an entertainer and you have a mic, can you please read, watch, listen, talk to somebody before you say some dumb on the microphone?”
The viral takedown has reignited a longstanding debate within Black culture about the balance between artistic freedom and political responsibility. As Martin made clear, for him, silence or neutrality in the face of systemic power isn’t enlightenment—it’s denial.
