Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, of the seminal production group The Neptunes, are taking their issues to court.
Williams is now facing a lawsuit from his former friend and production partner, Hugo, who alleges the Louis Vuitton creative director cut him out of their company and owes him as much as $1 million from the 2017 N.E.R.D album, “No One Ever Really Dies.”
The news was first reported by Billboard.
In the lawsuit filed on Friday (Jan. 23), Hugo accuses his childhood friend of legal wrongdoing, stating that he “engaged in self-dealing, concealed material information, and diverted revenues owed.”
“Such willful, fraudulent, and malicious conduct warrants the imposition of punitive damages,” Hugo’s attorney, Brent J. Lehman, wrote in the filing. Hugo is also accusing Williams of withholding royalties and documents that would determine how much he is owed, including the $1 million from their 2017 album that produced the hit single “Lemon” featuring Rihanna.
“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,” Lehman writes.
The lawsuit isn’t the first time the former production duo has gone to court over alleged improprieties. In 2024, Hugo filed a lawsuit against Pharrell, accusing him of “fraudulently” seeking sole control over “The Neptunes” name. The case is still ongoing in a federal trademark tribunal.
Before their legal disputes, Williams and Hugo were among the most in-demand producers of the 2000s and 2010s. Together, they crafted hits for Nelly (“Hot In Herre”), Snoop Dogg (“Drop It Like It’s Hot”), Britney Spears (“I’m A Slave 4 U”), SWV (“Use Your Heart”), Jay-Z (“I Just Wanna Love U (Give It To Me)”, Usher (“U Don’t Have To Call”), Kelis (“Milkshake”) and more. The former friends were also two-thirds of the hip-hop/rock group N.E.R.D, who had their own set of hit albums and songs between the 2000s and 2010s.
In the new lawsuit, Hugo’s lawyers allege he hasn’t seen any revenue since 2023 from an N.E.R.D. merchandising partnership and claim he’s owed “at least $325,000-$575,000” from “No One Ever Really Dies” with damages potentially exceeding “$750K to $1M.”
“After years of obfuscation by Pharrell and his team, Mr. Hugo had no choice but to seek substantial compensation and accountability in court,” Lehman wrote in an e-mailed statement to Billboard. “We look forward to presenting the evidence and obtaining the full relief the law provides.”
When Malice of the Clipse rapped “Ain’t no more Neptunes so P’s Saturn,” on their 2025 hit song “So Be It,” he wasn’t kidding.
