Pharrell Teams Up with Sony Music to Debut New Black-Centric Podcast, ‘Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History’

Multi-hyphenate Pharrell Williams has entered the podcast world in collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment.

Sony Music announced a new podcast series named “Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History.” The music company is doing it in conjunction with Pharrell and his production company OTHERTone. The podcast is hosted by journalist, cultural critic, and the “Dean of Black Twitter,” Michael Harriot.

The first episode is currently available. Drapetomaniax will present a weekly episode that uncovers the untold stories of Black Americans in history from a totally Black perspective.

“Drapetomaniax is a simple recipe,” said Harriot in a written statement. “We picked the most fascinating figures and important-but-largely-unknown events from Black history and seasoned it with the biggest stars, the best storytellers, and the most respected scholars.”

Harriot has been credited for coining the popular phrase, “invited to the cookout.” He has been seen on various media outlets like MSNBC and CNN when they seek an authoritative voice on race, culture, and politics.  His writings as a journalist have been seen in prominent publications like The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and more.

Drapetomaniax will speak to and highlight key figures as well as moments in Black American history that may have been inaccurately reported in school textbooks. Featured guests will include the likes of MSNBC’s Joy Reid, humorist Roy Wood Jr., actress Yvette Nicole Brown, journalists Nikole Hannah-Jones and Roland Martin, actor KevOnStage, politician Bakari Sellers, television personality Tiffany Cross and more.

Pharrell Williams is the executive producer at OTHERTone and Moses Ajibade Soyoola is the producer.