Before going on to produce smash hits like N.O.R.E.’s “Superthug” and Kelis’ “Milkshake” under The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams used to work at McDonald’s. During an interview with BBC Radio 2, the beatmaker revealed that the fast-food chain was his “first and only” job.
“I got fired three times. I was eating the chicken nuggets,” Williams told the radio station on Wednesday (Nov. 6), per Billboard. “The first two times, it was just because I was lazy. The third was like, ‘What are you doing? You’re just sitting there eating nuggets?’”
It’s worth mentioning that the multifaceted musician produced and co-wrote McDonald’s iconic “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle in the early 2000s. “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans asked him about being approached by the company several years after being fired, with him describing the moment as “ironic” and “very funny.”
“They brought that to use, and they asked us to make a song out of it. I mean, I didn’t wake up one day and say, ‘I got an idea for McDonald’s’ and say, ‘Ba da ba ba ba, I’m lovin’ it.’ It was more like incorporating a jingle, an idea, and a concept that they had around it,” he detailed. “It was more of them saying, ‘Can you make a song out of this?’ and we were like, ‘Yeah, sure.’”
McDonald’s has tapped numerous rappers and pop culture figures over the years, including Pusha T, who also contributed to “I’m Lovin’ It.” Among the other stars are Kai Cenat, Cardi B, Offset, Saweetie, Travis Scott, and Lil Yachty. Much like Williams, the Nuthin’ 2 Prove artist also worked at the fast-food chain when he was younger.
“Going from working at a McDonald’s in Atlanta to collaborating on the ‘Menu Song (Remix)’ with McDonald’s Canada is a wild, full-circle moment that brought back memories and is such a reminder that anything in life can happen,” he shared back in April.
