Is there anything Pharrell can’t do?
Following a year where he helped bring Daft Punk and Robin Thicke out of irrelevancy, coax strong showings from of both Mr. and Mrs. Sean Carter on their latest albums, and give the world a 24-hour music video, real-life Benjamin Button and musical impresario Skateboard P joined forces with the equally versatile Diplo and his Major Lazer squad for an banger on the outfit’s March EP, Apocalypse Soon.
Existing at the juncture of dancehall, pop, and electronic music that they built for themselves, Major Lazer’s Diplo, Walshy Fire, and Jillionaire tend to operate in two lanes — they either bring dancehall/reggae/soca music into the robotic, pulsating embrace of electronic music and EDM, or add steel drums and riddim to the sounds of broader talents.
This EP has both. But while “Come On to Me” features a Sean Paul performance that brings you back to his 2005 heyday, and “Sound Bag,” with soca star Machel Montano, bristles with the combined force of soca and house, Pharrell’s turn is the most entertaining of the bunch.
Over the constant shake of a can, Pharrell shows he can toast with the best of them, bragging about his celebrated clothing lines (“N***a, I’m hot like the place Tuscon, BBC, Ice Cream skewed on”) and joking about sounding like Eek-A-Mouse.
Just when you think he’s finally blown you away, Pharrell has enough good humor and self-awareness to question his own success: “Skateboard, can a n***a make more?” (Yes.)