Chad Hugo -member of The Neptunes– has sued Pharrell Williams for alleged non-payment of royalties corresponding to the latest album by NERD
Pharrell Williams faces a new lawsuit from its former production partner in The Neptunes, Chad Hugo. The legal representatives of Hugo They claim that there has been a “systematic denial” of royalties and rights as a member of The Neptunes and NERDwith specific reference to the album 2017 of the latter, “No One Ever Really Dies”. For this reason, they have filed Pharrell Williams a claim worth a million dollars.
This is not the first time legal problems have arisen between the two former partners. In 2024, Hugo stated in another lawsuit that Williams was attempting to “fraudulently” obtain exclusive control of the trademarks of the name The Neptunes. At that time, a representative of Williams stated that the musician had been “surprised” by the legal action and that there was no malicious intent behind the trademark registrations. “The goal here was to make sure that a third party didn’t take over the brand and to ensure that Chad and Pharrell share ownership and management,” they added. The lawsuit has not been publicly resolved.
Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo formed The Neptunes in 1992 and went on to produce and write smash hits for numerous major artists, including “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg“Got Your Money” by Ol’ Dirty Bastard or “I’m A Slave 4 U” by Britney Spears. Later, in 1994 formed NERDband he joined Teddy Riley. They released five albums together, exploring rock, funk, hip-hop and more. The most recent “No One Ever Really Dies” in 2017.
