Chad Hugo is suing his Neptunes’ producing partner Pharrell Williams over unpaid royalties, Billboard reports. In a lawsuit filed on Friday, January 23, Hugo claims Williams has refused to hand over crucial financial documents and owes him up to $1 million for work on the 2017 N.E.R.D. album, No One Ever Really Dies Alone.
“Williams engaged in self-dealing, concealed material information, and, upon information and belief, diverted revenues owed to Plaintiff,” Hugo’s attorney, Brent J. Lehman, claims in a filing obtained by Pitchfork. “Such willful, fraudulent, and malicious conduct warrants the imposition of punitive damages.”
Lehman declined to comment further on the suit. Pitchfork has also reached out to Williams’ representatives for comment.
In 2024, Hugo accused Williams of seeking sole ownership of the Neptunes’ trademark. Williams’ attorneys said they attempted to offer Hugo joint ownership, but Hugo’s reps claimed those business terms would have limited their client’s compensation.
As the Neptunes, Hugo and Williams’ work dominated the late ‘90s and early 2000s pop, rap, and R&B scenes. Between 1998 and 2006, the duo produced more than a dozen songs that charted on the Hot 100’s top 10, including No. 1 singles “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg, “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani, and “Money Maker” by Ludacris. In 2020, the Neptunes were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The duo are also credited as producers in Hugo and Williams’ rap-rock hybrid group with Shay Haley, N.E.R.D.
