Songwriter: Pharrell Williams

Producer: OutKast

[Break: Maybe (Original)]
Hold it now [scratched]

[Intro]
This for all the... All the connoisseurs of fine rhyme you know?
I dug deep in the cellars of my mind for this
I love y'all niggas, I just wanna air some things out
Dear hip-hop, ya know?
Dear hip-hop
Dear hip-hop

[Verse 1]
I got a cult following, N.E.R.D. is far from pop, G
No radio, light spins since the video drop, see
I'm the tourbillon of this shit, like Mozart and Bach be
I'ma show you niggas what time it is, niggas watch me
My falsetto's been hot, like The Sopranos' five seasons
Alto beats, "Grindin'" soundin' like "Frontin'"? Niggas is reachin'
I pimped across the stage, nigga tipsy off that reason
Snatched that Grammy, when I joke I call it the G-Thing
Ask Robin Leach how many V-somethings in my fortress
Like Russell Crowe in Gladiator, so many fucking horses
Porsches, Maranello, that's white, I call it Ghost
Phantom named Nightmare, black scares people the most
I introduced BAPE to the world, 400, nigga, out fast
Favorite group, White Stripes, R. Kelly, Kanye, and OutKast
A R&B producer, I was sittin' on the shelf
A Ralph Laurenic nerd then Noreaga gave me help
But my samples wouldn't clear, and I couldn't rock a wig
And they didn't have pimp cups, and dancin' wasn't my gig
But shoulder brushin', blazers, and trucker hats I did
And the only niggas I ain't work with was 2Pac and B.I.G, haha

[Hook]
You and me
BAPE, Ice Cream and BBC (Yup)
Just because we skate down the road (Niggas)
Don't mean we can't slam Phantom doors (Bitches)
You and me
BAPE, Ice Cream and BBC
Just because we skate down the road (Love y'all, man)
Don't mean we can't slam Phantom doors (You have no idea)

[Verse 2]
Now errbody keep asking me about Kelis
She's dope with or without me, 'til I die, that's what I speak
I never run to the tabloids and run around here grinnin'
I'm a peaceful, Rolls Royce-drivin' black John Lennon
Psychedelic beats, medals on my soldier jacket
Fuckin' the baddest bitches in fashion, niggas, can you imagine?
Ma, why you even breathin? Why you even talkin'?
Put my big bang in your black hole, I'm Stephen Hawkings
If the mind is full of water, can you believe I'm walkin'
On your thoughts, trust me niggas, what I've achieved is awesome
Mind readers, you think you know me, proceed with caution
Ohup! Eternal sunshine of a spotless mind, you lost him
I cried when my grandma died, Bob said Jah saves
If Jah's short for Jesus, then I'll sing what Bob says
Oh, small diamonds are blasé blasé
Remember 20 karat solitaires can not be pavé
And while my heart has lots of scars hidden
My beats is star-ridden, givin' trucks and jeeps and cars rhythm
Accompanied by 40 bars spitting, not from the prospective of narciss-um
But as N.E.R.D. goes, I start pene-trating minds unlikely fitting
Ghetto girls and thugs liking the album guitar-driven, yup
Ghetto girls to girls from the valley
From niggas that skate to niggas that pump crack in they alleys
I'm the black Carl Sagan, Timothy Leary, John Lennon
Lookin for my Yoko, hoping my wife hears me
And maybe she'll have more Interscope and won't be a Virgin
Who bought my album, and who will prefer the regular version that goes

[Break: Maybe (Original) plays fast]
See, maybe (Haha)
There was something wrong (Hooo!)
And you were telling me no wrong
(What up black radio? Daddy loves you)
See, maybe (Ahhhhohhhhhhhhhh!)
The laugh's on me (Yeahhhh)
And life was telling me a joke (joke joke joke)

[Hook]
You and me
BAPE, Ice Cream and BBC
Just because we skate down the road (Mean what?)
Don't mean we can't slam Phantom doors (Nigga nigga)
You and me
BAPE, Ice Cream and BBC
Just because we skate down the road
Don't mean we can't slam Phantom doors (Nigga-nigga)

[Outro]
Love y'all
P.S.: Daddy loves you
Yours truly, N.E.R.D
Yup!

Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973) is a record producer, singer-songwriter, rapper, and fashion designer from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Pharrell and his production partner Chad Hugo formed the production duo The Neptunes and they have produced a number of hip-hop, R&B, and pop hits for artists such as JAY-Z, Usher, Gwen Stefani, and many more. He is also the lead vocalist and drummer of rap/rock band N.E.R.D, which he formed with Hugo and Shay Haley.

After singing on a few Neptunes-produced tracks, Pharrell released his first solo single, “Frontin'”, in 2003. He released his debut solo album, In My Mind, in 2006, and his second album G I R L in 2014, which featured the #1 pop single “Happy”.

Pharrell has received a number of awards, including Billboard Music Awards and three Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical (2004 with The Neptunes, 2014, 2019), as well as receiving an Oscar nomination in 2014 in the Best Original Song category for “Happy” from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack. He also was a coach on the singing competition show The Voice in 2014.