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Two Scottish farmers have explained how they ended up becoming the stars of Jay-Z and Pharrell‘s new music video.
Michelle and Robert Sullivan are the subjects of the star rappers’ new visual for recent collaborative single ‘Entrepeneur’.
The new video aims to spotlight Black entrepreneurs, creatives and business owners around the world. Tyler, the Creator and Insecure creator Issa Rae appear in the clip, alongside a short, silent tribute to Nipsey Hussle, the influential California rapper and entrepreneur who was shot dead last year.
The Sullivans own their own company, The Artisan Grower, which sells organic vegetable boxes, and told the Evening Standard that they were surprised when Jay-Z and Pharrell’s label Columbia Records got in touch via Instagram.
“It’s a mystery,” Michelle said. “We’ve no idea how they heard about us. There are hundreds of thousands of black business owners and entrepreneurs, particularly in the UK, but somehow they found us.”
“We thought it must be a joke or something at first,” she added. “But one of the producers, Lola Ridgell, explained to us that their aim with the track was to promote black businesses around the world.”
She added that the production team for the label “were going to send over a film crew, but with the Covid situation, we offered to just do it ourselves – Lola loved the idea”.
Speaking about the song to TIME, Pharrell explained that ‘Entrepreneur’ is about “how tough it is to be an entrepreneur in our country to begin with. Especially as someone of colour, there’s a lot of systemic disadvantages and purposeful blockages.
“How can you get a fire started, or even the hope of an ember to start a fire, when you’re starting at disadvantages with regards to health care, education, and representation?”
He added: “The song is trying to communicate that when we stick together, treat each other better and welcome each other, there’s more money and more opportunity for everyone.”
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