Pharrell sued by Chad Hugo over alleged unpaid royalties
Pharrell is facing another lawsuit from his longtime collaborator, Chad Hugo.
The two artists were once frequent collaborators as members of N.E.R.D. and produced some of the biggest hits as The Neptunes.
However, according to Billboard, Hugo sued Pharrell on January 23rd, claiming he owes him $1 million from one of N.E.R.D.’s albums.
He alleges that there has been a “systematic denial” over royalties and rights regarding their 2017 album, No One Ever Really Dies.
Hugo’s lawyer Brent J Lehman, said, “Williams engaged in self-dealing, concealed material information, and … diverted revenues owed to plaintiff. Such willful, fraudulent, and malicious conduct warrants the imposition of punitive damages.”
No One Ever Really Dies was N.E.R.D.’s first album in seven years. It debuted at number 31 on the Billboard 200 chart with features from Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, André 3000, Ed Sheeran, Future, M.I.A., Gucci Mane, and Wale.
In a statement, Lehman said, “After years of obfuscation by Pharrell and his team, Mr Hugo had no choice but to seek substantial compensation and accountability in court. We look forward to presenting the evidence and obtaining the full relief the law provides.”
Hugo previously sued Pharrell in 2024, accusing him of fraudulently filing for Neptunes trademarks without him. This allegedly violated their agreement to share everything equally.
The filing read, “Throughout their over thirty year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in fact, have divided all assets. 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.”
Between 2001 and 2017, Hugo and Pharrell released five albums as N.E.R.D.: In Search Of, Fly or Die, Seeing Sounds, Nothing, and No One Ever Really Dies.