In conjunction with his Time magazine cover stories, “The New American Revolution,” Pharrell announced Thursday morning that he and Jay-Z would release their new collaboration, “Entrepreneur,” the following night. With the announcement being made through the magazine, a preview of Jay-Z’s verse was shared, one that caused a bit of controversy. “Black Twitter, what’s that? When Jack gets paid, do you?” Jay-Z asks on the track. “For every one Gucci, support two FUBU’s.” Many fans on social media were not happy with the verse and criticized Jay-Z diminishing the Black community’s support of Black businesses, all before the full song arrived.
Now that the song is here, fans will be able to judge the song and its lyrics all at once. Clocking in at just over four minutes, the song arrives with a video and begins with Pharrell leading the way with whispering chants before his voice comes alive. Jay-Z appears later on in the track with lines aimed to motivate listeners to take a step towards entrepreneurship, rapping, “If you can’t buy the building at least stock the shelf.”
Prior to its release, Pharrell gave some insight on the song to Time magazine. “The intention for a song was all about how tough it is to be an entrepreneur in our country to begin with — especially as someone of color. There’s a lot of systemic disadvantages and purposeful blockages. How can you get a fire started, or even the hope of an ember to start a fire, when you’re starting at disadvantages with regards to health care, education, and representation?”
Listen to the track in the video above.
