Chad Hugo is once again taking his former musical collaborator Pharrell Williams to court.
In a civil complaint filed in California federal court on Jan. 23, and obtained by USA TODAY on Jan. 27, Hugo accused Pharrell of withholding profits from their musical ventures N.E.R.D. and The Neptunes.
He also alleged Pharrell of exercising control over revenues "over an extended period" of time, with Hugo claiming he "has not received his 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."
Hugo cofounded the rock/hip-hop musical group N.E.R.D. alongside Pharrell and Sheldon "Shay" Haley and was also the other half of the production duo The Neptunes, which produced hits for the likes of Britney Spears ("I'm a Slave 4 U"), Justin Timberlake ("Rock Your Body") and Jay-Z ("I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)").
Hugo called the musical ventures "two of the most influential musical forces of their generation, whose innovative, genre-blending sound helped shape modern hip-hop, R&B, and pop music." The two met as teenagers in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in the '80s and founded The Neptunes in the late '90s.
