“John McClain was like, ‘Man, Michael don’t want that s–t! He want the s–t you givin’ Noreaga!'” Pharrell continued, noting that this was right before the King of Pop’s “You Rock My World” era. He also shared that it was one of his collaborations with N.O.R.E. that Jackson wanted. ” He was like, ‘Yo, he want that “Superthug.”‘
The rejection turned out to be a major win for Timberlake. Justified — which Pharrell produced the majority of — dropped in November 2002 and went on to peak at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and has since been certified triple platinum. The former *NSYNC member is credited with co-writing with all 13 tracks.
It turns out that Michael Jackson wasn’t the only mega music star to turn down tunes written by Pharrell. Prince also rejected his work too, the producer shared. “I tried for years to make records for him,” he admitted to the hosts as they were enjoying a cocktail named after the iconic musician’s “Purple Rain.”
“My first attempt at making a record with him was “Frontin’,”” he shared. Pharrell eventually recorded the tune himself. “I think I wrote a different version a little bit for him. He wasn’t into it.”
When N.O.R.E. called the song one of his favorite Pharrell tunes of all time, the singer-producer admitted, “That was me pretending to be [Prince].”
Watch the entire interview below.
