Pharrell makes surprise stop at LEGO and sneaker giveaway in former neighborhood

By Anthony Sabella

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    VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia (WTKR) — Neighbors at Atlantis Apartments were treated to a surprise Saturday morning, as Virginia Beach-native Pharrell Williams stopped by to visit the community where he grew up.

The appearance comes the same weekend as the music superstar’s LEGO biopic film “Piece by Piece” released in theaters.

“There was no way I could make a film about my life without showing Atlantis Apartments,” Pharrell told the crowd of tenants in the neighborhood off Birdneck Road. “I just want to say ‘thank you’ to this neighborhood.”

Tenants had already gathered for a “Brick by Brick” community celebration in recognition of the release of “Piece by Piece.” Williams partnered with community property manager Fairstead, LEGO and Adidas to give away Pharrell-inspired LEGO sets and sneakers to the families living at Atlantis.

Pharrell spoke for about five minutes. He thanked God for his success and told the crowd he wanted to make sure they were taken care of by Fairstead, which finished a $15 million renovation of all 208 units in 2022.

But the biggest applause came following an announcement at the end of his speech.

“We were ‘The Neptunes’ because I was raised in Atlantis,” he said. “I was like, man, ‘Why do we live in a neighborhood called Atlantis and we don’t have no pool?’ So today, I’m applying the pressure and we’re going to get a pool out here.”

Williams also stopped for pictures and hugs with residents before and after speaking.

“Piece by Piece” isn’t the only reference his former neighborhood will have on the big screen. Williams is producing a musical inspired by his life called “Atlantis” to be released in 2025.

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