The legal battle between Chad Hugo and his former business partner, Pharrell Williams, continues to heat up, with Hugo filing an amendment to his lawsuit over royalties from their production group, The Neptunes, Forbes reports. In the updated suit, Hugo makes a startling claim that Pharrell has excluded him from production credits on several songs. At least eight songs were named, including two tracks from Rosalía’s 2022 album, Motomami, and Latto’s “Real One,” also from 2022.
That said, one of the tracks from Hugo’s complaint— a track titled “Lost and Found,” from Nigo’s 2022 album, I Know NIGO! — might prove more challenging. According to Spotify, Hugo is credited as a writer along with 13 others. The outlet also noted that Hugo’s complaint is up against the three-year statute of limitations under the US Copyright Act, which could bar Hugo’s claims for songs released in 2022. Earlier this year, Hugo claimed that Williams was guilty of withholding money and mishandling their company’s account records. The pair founded their company N.E.R.D. Music, LLC, back in 2014.
Hugo Refers To Himself As The ‘Principal Composer’ Behind The Neptune’s Sound
Hugo, who refers to his role in their partnership as the “principal composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and producer responsible for programming, instrumentation, and overall sound design,” claims Williams is required to provide documentation about “income, expenses, royalties, and other financial issues,” but has failed to do so. However, Hugo claims that since 2021, he has been blocked by Williams from reviewing the company’s financial records.
He also claims that he’s yet to receive “[an] 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.” According to the terms of their company, Williams receives 50% company’s funds, which come from “touring and other income,” whereas Hugo and the third N.E.R.D. member, Sheldon “Shay” Haley, each receive 25%. All “merchandising and trademark income” is equally distributed among the three members.
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