The Neptunes' Chad Hugo is pushing back against an effort by his estranged production partner, Pharrell Williams, to dismiss his copyright infringement lawsuit, accusing Williams of trying to erase his contributions to one of hip-hop's most influential duos.
In a new court filing, Hugo and his lawyer, Brent Lehman, dispute Williams' contention that the lawsuit identifies only one song at issue. Instead, Hugo says the case encompasses a much broader body of work stemming from compositions the two created during nearly 50 studio sessions between 2019 and 2021. He argues that Williams and his affiliated companies, record labels, and publishers control the records needed to identify how those compositions were ultimately released.
Hugo says he singled out EarthGang's “U Gotta†as one example because he was allegedly removed from the track's credits despite the recording artists themselves acknowledging his contributions.
“Defendants ask the court to write Chad Hugo out of The Neptunes on the pleadings, before a single document has been produced,†Hugo's new filing, obtained by Rolling Stone, states. “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.â€
Hugo calls Williams' demand for more specific information “especially unfair,†arguing that he repeatedly sought royalty statements, financial records, and other documents between 2021 and 2024 but received “almost nothing, despite counsel's acknowledgment that additional documents exist.â€
Lawyers for Williams did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone's request for comment on Friday. In his motion to dismiss, Williams argued that after three years and three versions of the complaint, Hugo failed to clearly identify a copyright claim that belongs in federal court.
He and his lawyers argued that Hugo first identified no specific songs in his original complaint, naming only the N.E.R.D. album No One Ever Really Dies. An amended complaint subsequently listed eight songs that were not on the album, but Hugo dropped all eight from his second amended complaint filed last month. The latest version of the complaint names only EarthGang's “U Gotta,†without specifying whether Hugo is claiming rights to the musical composition, the sound recording or both, Williams argued.
“The [second amended complaint] is so vague and ambiguous with respect to the copyrights placed at issue that defendants cannot reasonably prepare a response,†Williams' motion said. “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.â€
Williams argued that without a viable federal copyright claim, Hugo's state-law claims involving breach of fiduciary duty and an incomplete accounting should also be dismissed, leaving him free to pursue those claims separately in state court.
In his lawsuit, Hugo said he and Williams co-founded the Neptunes and N.E.R.D., establishing themselves among the “most influential musical forces of their generation†with an innovative sound that helped shape modern hip-hop, R&B, and pop music. Hugo said his work as a songwriter, producer, arranger, and performer was central to their success, though Williams was the public face of their partnership.
“Although Defendant Williams often received greater public visibility, plaintiff's contributions as a founding creative partner, co-writer, producer, and co-founder of both The Neptunes and N.E.R.D. were indispensable to the commercial value, goodwill, and brand recognition associated with these ventures,†Hugo's second amended complaint read.
The complaint continued to identify No One Ever Really Dies as a source of alleged damages that could exceed $1 million. Hugo noted that the album debuted at Number 10 on the Billboard charts and has generated millions of streams.
