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Pharrell, who wrote Britney Spears' 'I'm a Slave 4 U,' says he wouldn’t use 'slave' in a song title today: "That’s not a word to play with these days.”

Pharrell, who wrote Britney Spears' hit single ‘I’m a Slave 4 U,’ says he wouldn’t use 'slave' in a song title now: 'That’s not a word to play with these days.'

Pharrell teamed up with his then-frequent collaborator Chad Hugo to pen “I’m a Slave 4 U,” a track originally intended for Janet Jackson that would instead become a signature hit for Spears upon its 2001 release. Not only did this lead to the iconic VMAs performance that saw Spears dance with a python draped across her shoulders, it helped signal her transition to a more mature sound. Spears showed some love for the song just last year, sharing a clip from her VMAs performance on X (formerly Twitter).

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