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.”

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