NORFOLK, Va. — If you're from here, you know.
It's Nor-fuk. Not Nor-folk.
And at his Mighty Dream Forum on Tuesday, Pharrell Williams didn't hesitate to make sure fellow hosts of "OTHERtone Podcast Live" were in the know.
"We say 'Nor-fuk,' and when I stay away too long and I say 'Nor-folk' people are like, 'Ok... c'mon... it's 'Nor-fuk,'" Williams said.
His comment came after comedian Hannibal Buress explained he hadn't realized until recently that Norfolk means 'northern folk.'"
The afternoon session at the main stage was hosted by Williams, Scott Vener, and rapper Fam-Lay, who interviewed Buress about his experience and insights on topics related to money and opportunity.
"Wait, I said it wrong?" Buress asked in response to Pharrell's coaching.
"Nor-fuk," Fam-Lay said.
"Ohhhh... I enunciated too much!" Buress said with a smile.
And Pharrell isn't the only one to protect Norfolk's proper pronunciation. A few weeks ago, The NorVa posted a backstage photo on social media showing instructions for out-of-town performers so they know what to say when greeting fans.
The Mighty Dream website describes OTHERtone as "a glimpse into the minds of our culture's unicorns and how they think about life, art, and everything in between."
The full schedule for the forum is available here.