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Pharrell Says He & Former Neptunes Partner Chad Hugo Are No Longer on Speaking Terms

The former production team is in court over business dealings under their Neptunes moniker.

Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes

Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes

L. Cohen/WireImage for The Recording Academy

The Neptunes are no more.

During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter for their September cover story, Pharrell admitted that he and his former friend Chad Hugo are no longer talking to each other. “But I love him, and I always wish him the absolute best, and I’m very grateful for our time together,” he told THR. However, he told the outlet that Chad is still voicing himself in Pharrell’s upcoming Lego biopic Piece by Piece.


Earlier this year, Hugo took Williams to court, accusing the latter of trying to monopolize the naming rights to The Neptunes. Chad took issue with Pharrell attempting to to register trademarks under their production moniker and in turn violating their agreement to split everything equally. Apparently, Pharrell tried to file three separate trademark applications for The Neptunes under his company PW IP Holdings LLC: one for streaming music, another for music videos, and another for live performances.

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In other news, Pharrell was asked about working with Beyoncé over the years and the upcoming presidential election. When asked about how her career has evolved, he said he was “grateful to be a part of her story and her journey and her trajectory,” while alluding to either having something in the works with the superstar, or at the very least being aware of what’s coming next from her. “Just get ready,” he said without elaborating further.

In terms of U.S. politics, he took an even more neutral approach. “I am much more of a federal employee. I believe in merited civil service,” he said when asked about his feelings about the upcoming election. He then compared himself to federal employees that aren’t selected by the respective party in power. “This is what they do, come rain or shine, whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican in office, you show up to work every day, you serve your country.” He also admitted to being “annoyed” by celebrity political endorsements. “I don’t do politics. In fact, I get annoyed sometimes when I see celebrities trying to tell you [who to vote for],” he said. “There are celebrities that I respect that have an opinion, but not all of them. I’m one of them people [who says], “What the heck? Shut up. Nobody asked you.’”

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Piece by Piece is set to hit theaters on Oct. 11.

This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.

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Carly Rae Jepsen
Meredith Jenks

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604 Records Co-Founder Jonathan Simkin Says Carly Rae Jepsen Recorded a Whole Unreleased Album Around 'Call Me Maybe'

The British Columbia-native was signed to Interscope Records, but was reportedly tasked to make a brand new record with all new producers.

An unreleased Carly Rae Jepsen project exists out in the music ether, according to Jonathan Simkin.

In a recent podcast episode of I Hate Simkin, the 604 Records co-founder reveals that prior to the No. 1 success of Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” an entire project had been made — but it didn’t make it to the masses.

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