Pharrell Williams has opened up about Drake purchasing his old jewelry collection for $3.3 million and later threatening to destroy it. The Grammy-winning producer, singer, and creative director for Louis Vuitton shared his thoughts during an interview with GG Magazine.
In 2022, Pharrell auctioned several iconic jewelry pieces, including a 14K three-tone N.E.R.D pendant chain, a white gold brain pendant chain, and a skateboard pendant chain. These pieces, part of Pharrell’s legacy, caught Drake’s attention, who later wore them in his music video for “Jumbotron Shit Poppin.”
“You never realize how much all the stuff you have weighs on you, but it does. You don’t know it until you get rid of it,” he said. “When you let that go, man, you feel so free.”
“[B]eyond all of the on-goings, at the heart of all of it, he’s a fan of music,” Pharrell replied. “He’s a fan of the history of what it is, and I happen to be a part of that, and those artifacts are a part of it.”
However, things took a dramatic turn when Drake referenced melting the jewelry in his verse on Travis Scott’s track “Meltdown.” The song, which also reignited Drake’s beef with Pusha T, appeared to throw shade at Pharrell. Drake’s lyrics included a bold dismissal of Pharrell’s jewelry legacy, stirring up conversations across the music industry.
“It didn’t,” Pharrell answered.
The feud has roots in longstanding tensions. Shortly before the track’s release, Pharrell and Pusha T were in Paris for Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton fashion show. Around the same time, Pusha T fired shots at Jim Jones in a Clipse song debuted at the event.
He raps: “I melt down the chains that I bought from yo boss/ Give a fuck about all of that heritage shit/ Since V[irgil] not around, the members done hung up the Louis/ They not even wearing that shit.”
Later in his verse, Drake raps: “You lucky that ‘Vogue’ was suing/ ‘Cause I would’ve been with the Wassas in Paris and shit.”
Pharrell’s jewelry, now owned by Drake, continues to spark debates about legacy, rivalry, and influence in the music world.
