After years of speculation about the state of one of hip-hop’s most influential creative partnerships, Clipse is finally speaking on the breakup of The Neptunes.
During a recent interview with Billboard, brothers Pusha T and No Malice addressed the split between longtime production partners Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, whose signature sound helped define Clipse’s biggest records, including “Lord Willin’” and “Hell Hath No Fury.”
The conversation comes more than a year after news emerged that Williams and Hugo were embroiled in a legal dispute over ownership of The Neptunes trademark, signaling a fracture in a partnership that shaped the sound of hip-hop, R&B and pop for more than three decades.
While both Clipse members expressed love for Hugo personally, they offered different perspectives on his absence from the duo’s upcoming album. No Malice said there are no hard feelings, emphasizing that their personal relationship remains intact.
“Absolutely miss Chad [Hugo], as far as, you know, being on the album,” Malice said. “I’ll see Chad in the airport, in the street, at Buffalo Wild Wings, you know, in VA. Whatever they got going on, just hope for the best. … Whenever we see each other, it’s always gonna be love. Always.”
Pusha T, however, acknowledged that the group’s recording process has evolved.
“For me no,” the rapper said. “Everybody knows my favorite album is ‘Hell Hath No Fury.’ Pharrell did that alone. That’s it.” He noted that Pharrell handled the production on the new project, making Hugo’s absence less of a factor during its creation.
“Chad’s my guy. I love Chad. Pharrell’s my guy; love Chad too,” Pusha continued. “We’re brothers, we came up together. But, you know, when you say missing in the music, there is no missing in the music when it comes to the Clipse. And if it’s just P, it don’t matter– we find what we find.”
The comments mark one of the first public acknowledgments from Clipse about the dissolution of The Neptunes, whose production credits span artists including Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Kelis and Snoop Dogg.
The interview comes nearly a year after Clipse released “Let God Sort Em Out,” the duo’s first studio album in more than 15 years. The project reunited Pusha and Malice after years of solo work and features production from Pharrell, continuing the close creative relationship between the rapper-producer collaborators even as Williams’ partnership with Hugo appears to have ended.
Fans have long associated Clipse with The Neptunes’ sound, but the brothers made clear they are focused on the future rather than the circumstances surrounding the producers’ split. For many hip-hop fans, however, the end of The Neptunes represents the close of one of music’s most celebrated partnerships–one that helped launch Clipse’s career and left an indelible mark on modern music.
