Chad Hugo is suing former The Neptunes' partner Pharrell Williams for unpaid royalties

Chad Hugo has filed a lawsuit against his former The Neptunes' production partner Pharrell Williams for unpaid royalties.

In documents filed on January 23, seen by Billboard, Hugo is accusing Williams of "engaging in self-dealing, concealed material information, and diverted revenues owed to plaintiff," including $1 million for his work on the 2017 N.E.R.D album 'No One Ever Really Dies Alone'.

The filing expands on previous challenges lodged by Hugo over the name rights to The Neptunes, claiming that he had served as the "principal composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and producer", while Williams had served as the "public-facing member" of the duo since forming in the late '90s.

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“The 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 Brent J. Lehman writes in the filing.

In 2024, Hugo accused Williams of “fraudulently” attempting to register a trademark for The Neptunes without consulting him, admitting that the pair, who had been friends since childhood, are "no longer on speaking terms."

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“Throughout their over thirty-year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in fact, have divided all assets,” the 2024 filing claimed. “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.”

Under the moniker, Hugo and Williams were prolific producers across the early '00s, responsible for around 43% of tracks played on US radio in 2003 alone. The Neptunes were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022 for their work on hits such as Kelis' 'Milkshake', Justin Timberlake's 'Rock Your Body', and Nelly's 'Hot In Herre'.

[Via: Billboard]

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on X