Pharrell Williams covers the new issue of Ebony. It’s a surprisingly great cover shot, right? Obviously, Pharrell is an ageless vampire, but there’s something about his style that seems… I don’t know, like he transcends “trendy.” He would look cool in any era of music, you know? Plus, I’m just grateful that Pharrell isn’t wearing a Native American headdress on the cover. As for the interview… Pharrell touches on the recent events of Ferguson, plus the accusations that he doesn’t care about black women:

Pharrell Williams gives one of his most provocative interviews on topics ranging from women to racism, in the November issue of EBONY magazine. In honor of the annual Men’s issue, the producer and co-judge on the NBC hit series, The Voice, speaks candidly about how the tragic death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. impacted him as a Black man, husband and father. Williams’ shares:

“I don’t talk about race since it takes a very open mind to hear my view, because my view is the sky view. But I’m very troubled by what happened in Ferguson, Mo.”

“When things like that happen, we need to be a united cell. We need connective tissue to be linked by spirit and spirituality. For every individual who gets killed, someone should build a school or teach a child. We really need to balance things with positivity”

Williams also hits on personal controversy. The Virginia native addresses the rumors surrounding his bias against Black women, which sparked when the cover for his latest album, Girl, showcased only non-Black females.

“I love Black women,” says Williams. “If you don’t think I love Black women, then you don’t understand me.” He continues to add, “I have obsessed over Black women since the days of Jayne Kennedy, Beverly Peele and Roshumba Williams. Those are the women I daydreamed about growing up.”

[From Ebony via Sandra Rose]

The “controversy” about Pharrell not appreciating black women started with his G.I.R.L. cover – critics claimed that Pharrell was surrounding himself with some of the lightest-skin ladies he could find, although Pharrell pushed back on those accusations, saying that one of the ladies was black or mixed race and why did it even matter?

As for his comments about race and Ferguson… I don’t think Pharrell is comfortable taking on a more political role. Jezebel compared Pharrell’s statements to Kanye’s craziness about how celebrity privacy is the New Civil Rights Movement or whatever, but I’m not seeing that. I just think Pharrell doesn’t want to be political.

Cover courtesy of Ebony, additional photos by Fame/Flynet.