The Lawsuit
Chad Hugo filed a lawsuit against Pharrell Williams on January 23, 2026, in California federal court. Hugo accuses his former Neptunes partner of withholding royalties, failing to provide financial records, and engaging in self-dealing through their company N.E.R.D. Music, LLC.
The suit claims Hugo is owed between $750,000 to $1 million from the 2017 N.E.R.D. album No One Ever Really Dies. Hugo alleges Williams has denied him access to essential financial records since 2021, despite contractual obligations requiring Williams to provide an accounting of income, expenses, and royalties.
This is the second legal dispute between the duo. In 2024, Hugo sued Williams for attempting to register trademarks for The Neptunes' name without his consent. The pair have confirmed they are no longer on speaking terms.
The Neptunes' Legacy
Williams and Hugo formed The Neptunes in Virginia Beach in the early 1990s after meeting at a summer camp. They were discovered by producer Teddy Riley and went on to define the sound of 2000s pop, R&B, and hip-hop. In 2003, they produced 43% of songs played on American radio. The duo won Producer of the Year at the 2004 Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022.
Greatest Hits
Production credits include:
- Nelly - "Hot in Herre"
- Snoop Dogg - "Drop It Like It's Hot"
- Britney Spears - "I'm a Slave 4 U"
- Justin Timberlake - "Rock Your Body," "Like I Love You"
- Gwen Stefani - "Hollaback Girl"
- Jay-Z - "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)"
- Kelis - "Milkshake"
- Clipse - "Grindin'"
- Ludacris - "Southern Hospitality"
- Usher - "U Don't Have to Call"
- Noreaga - "Superthug"
- N.E.R.D. - "Lemon" (featuring Rihanna)
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