The Neptunes lay claim to some of hip-hop's best material in the 2000s, which makes their legal fallout all the more heartbreaking. For those unaware, Chad Hugo sued his former collaborator Pharrell Williams for copyright infringement and breach of contract for allegedly cutting him out of group profits, song credits, trademark registrations, royalties, financial records, and more.
The most recent update in this situation comes from Rolling Stone. Via a new court filing from Hugo and his attorney Brent Lehman, they responded to Pharrell's attempts to dismiss the lawsuit. Hugo fought back against the notion that he only identified one song at issue, that being EARTHGANG's "U Gotta." He claimed he singled it out because he was removed from the credits despite the artists acknowledging his involvement.
Instead, Hugo and his lawyer argued the case is a broad indictment of nearly 50 studio sessions between 2019 and 2021 and their resulting material. Also, he claimed Williams and his companies control the necessary records to determine how these releases occurred.
"Defendants ask the court to write Chad Hugo out of The Neptunes on the pleadings, before a single document has been produced," the filing reportedly stated. "But The Neptunes were two people. For three decades, Hugo and Pharrell Williams wrote and produced records together under that name. Hugo has always been at the center of The Neptunes success and is equally responsible for the duo’s special place in the industry. Over the past few years, Williams has sought to erase Hugo from one of the greatest hip-hip duos of all time. This case is about Williams’ effort to rewrite history and turn The Neptunes’ success into the work of only one person."
Pharrell & Chad Hugo Case
Chad Hugo called Pharrell's request for more specific info "especially unfair" because Hugo sought royalty statements, financial records, and other forms of documentation from 2021 to 2024. However, he claims he got "almost nothing, despite counsel’s acknowledgment that additional documents exist."
As for Pharrell's response to Chad Hugo, he claimed the multiple versions of Hugo's legal pursuit don't identify a clear copyright claim correspondent to federal court. He alleged his former collaborator only named the N.E.R.D. album No One Ever Really Dies rather than any specific songs. Williams believes it's unclear if Hugo seeks composition credit, recording rights, or both concerning EARTHGANG's "U Gotta."
"The [second amended complaint] is so vague and ambiguous with respect to the copyrights placed at issue that defendants cannot reasonably prepare a response," Pharrell's motion reportedly argued. "As incomprehensible as it is, it appears that Hugo has no idea which compositions or sound recordings he supposedly authored — even though he claims to have been there, right by defendants’ side, the whole time."
Williams' arguments open the door for a state court case, but he wants a dismissal under federal guidelines. We will see where they land concerning this complex case.
