Pharrell Williams and his Neptunes bandmate Chad Hugo aren’t on speaking terms, the musician has revealed.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in a new feature, the ‘Happy’ singer was asked about his relationship with Hugo. The two have been longtime collaborators, forming The Neptunes in 1992 and N.E.R.D. in 1994. However, after more than 30 years of working together, the pair are no longer on talking terms after Hugo filed a lawsuit against Williams earlier this year.
Pharrell said of his relationship with Hugo to The Hollywood Reporter: “I always wish him the absolute best.” Williams was then pressed further on the topic, being asked if they were still on speaking times. He replied: “No. But I love him, and I always wish him the absolute best, and I’m very grateful for our time together.”
However, he did confirm that Hugo voices himself in Pharrell’s upcoming LEGO biopic Piece By Piece. The film, which will chronicle Pharrell Williams’ life and career, is out on October 11 in the US and November 8 in the UK. It will delve into his time in The Neptunes with Chad Hugo, working with Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani and more.
The falling out between the Neptunes bandmates comes after Hugo filed a lawsuit against Williams in April this year. In the lawsuit, Hugo claimed Williams was “fraudulently” seeking sole control over trademarks of the Neptunes name without consulting him. The move by Williams was reportedly in violation of a longstanding agreement that saw the pair split everything 50/50.
A representative for Williams said at the time that the musician was left “surprised” by the legal action, and had no ill intent behind the trademark filings. “We have reached out on multiple occasions to share in the ownership and administration of the trademark and will continue to make that offer,” they added. “The goal here was to make sure a third party doesn’t get a hold of the trademark and to guarantee Chad and Pharrell share in ownership and administration.”
