One of music’s biggest artists just pulled a Beyoncé, quietly dropping a new album without warning in the middle of the night. No, it wasn’t J. Cole, whose mixtape Might Delete Later has been dominating social media discussion today as a result of his “7 Minute Drill” call-out of Kendrick Lamar. While y’all were arguing about whose entry in the Burn Book was more vicious (smh), Pharrell Williams released Virginia: Black Yacht Rock, Vol. 1 —City Of Limitless Access for his 51st birthday. It sounds exactly as its title suggests.
Of course, it’s fair if you didn’t realize such a thing happened. I myself didn’t catch on until Pharrell superfan Tyler The Creator posted about it on Twitter, at which point, I scrambled through the DSPs (yes, all of them, music writers can write off all those memberships on our taxes — this is me reminding myself to actuall do my taxes) only to find out that its only available on its own website. Hit up blackyachtrock.com to hear it. Feel free to throw on a linen suit first, make yourself a tropical drink. You can also download it and take it on a yacht with you laters. Whatever… ahem… floats your boat.
caged bird free by virginia black yacht rock, great song
— T (@tylerthecreator) April 5, 2024
Pharrell’s new album arrives, strangely enough, after news of friction between him and his former production partner, Chad Hugo, over the name of their production group, The Neptunes. You can read about it here.
Virginia: Black Yacht Rock, Vol. 1 — City Of Limitless Access is out now via blackyachtrock.com.
