Neptunes Co-Founder Chad Hugo Sues Pharrell Williams
Divorces are never easy, whether they’re personal or professional. That’s what Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, once partners in the Neptunes, are experiencing. Hugo filed his second lawsuit against his former partner last week. This time, he alleges that Williams owes him his fair share of the royalties they earned together creating hits for Kelis, Nelly, Britney Spears, Snoop, and Gwen Stefani, among others.
This lawsuit was filed in California, alleging that not only were royalties owed, but that information about incoming monies was withheld.
“Plaintiff has not received his appropriate share of royalties in connection with The Neptunes and N.E.R.D.’s album sales and released music, as well as distributions from touring income, and various merchandising deals,” Hugo’s lawyer, Brett J. Lehman, says in the legal documents.
Hugo also filed a lawsuit last year, saying that Williams was trying to acquire the rights to the Neptunes’ name for his exclusive use. This was after Williams filed for multiple trademarks, including for touring, video,s and streaming music in 2022.
“Throughout their over thirty-year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in fact, have divided all assets,” Hugo’s attorney Kenneth D. Freundlich told Billboard. “By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from the any and all applications filed by applicant for the mark ‘The Neptunes,’ applicant has committed fraud in securing the trademarks and acted in bad faith.”
At that time, Williams’s legal team said the idea was to ensure that no one else could claim the Neptunes name and that Hugo would share in any revenues generated.
When N.E.R.D Music LLC was founded back in 2014, it was agreed that Hugo, Williams, and N.E.R.D ‘s Sheldon “Shay” Haley would share a split that gave Williams 50% of revenues and Hugo and Haley 25% each. Williams agreed to keep the others informed about the funds coming in. Hugo says he’s been seeking that info and revenues since 2023 and that he’s potentially owed a million dollars.
However, Williams’ attorneys pushed back on the lawsuit this week, saying they are already in the process of providing the information Hugo requested.
“A standard accounting review is already in progress,” a representative for Williams told Complex. “The lawsuit filed is premature, as there may not even be a dispute between the parties. If the accounting review determines that money is owed, the appropriate party will pay it. Pharrell has consistently acted in good faith. He has great respect for Chad and looks forward to resolving this in a way that honors their shared history.”
Hugo and Haley have stayed largely out of the spotlight in recent years, while Williams has been producing movies and designing fashion lines as the creative director for Louis Vuitton menswear.
In 2022, Hugo and Williams were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on the strength of songs like Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl,” Snoop’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” The Clipse’s “Grindin,’ Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” and Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body.” The former partners met in their Virginia hometown in high school, going on to form the Neptunes and N.E.R.D together.
Hugo voiced his character in Williams’s animated biography Piece By Piece. But when asked by The Hollywood Reporter if the two still talk, Williams said no.
“But I love him, and I always wish him the absolute best, and I’m very grateful for our time together.”
See social media’s reaction to the messy business dealings below.
