Entertainment
Kelis fans call Pharrell Williams a ‘thief’ who cheated her out of royalties amid legal battle with Chad Hugo over ownership of ‘Neptunes’
Kelis might not be as problematic as music lovers once painted her. At least not now, with the recent publicity of a lawsuit alleging that Pharrell Williams attempted to defraud his partner, producer and songwriter, Chad Hugo, with the intention to take advantage of the copyright to their group’s name, The Neptunes.
Williams is accused of fraudulently filing multiple applications with his company PW IP Holdings LLC in 2022, naming him as the only owner of The Neptunes. He wants to make use of the name to stream music, music videos, live performances and other content. Billboard first reported that the duo was in the center of a legal battle on April 1.
The application for audio recordings has already been approved, while the appliance for clothing and goods is pending. PW IP Holdings LLC also owns the trademarks of creative director Louis Vuitton’s NERD team, Goodtime Hotel and various other business ventures.
Hugo’s legal team argues that the longtime friends have all the time shared property and profits 50/50. In the criticism, attorney Kenneth D. Freundlich wrote that “over the course of their more than three-decade history, (Hugo) and Williams have agreed to and in fact divided their entire estate” and that “by ignoring and excluding (Hugo) from any and all reports filed by the declarant “The Neptunes” mark, the applicant committed fraud in securing trademarks and acted in bad faith.
The two men have known each other since childhood growing up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They formally founded The Neptunes in the early 1990s.
In 2002, The Neptunes had the greatest summer in hip-hop history for any production team.
• Grindin’ – clip
• Pass Courvoisier – Busta Rhymes
• You don’t have to call – Usher
• Hot in here – Nelly
• Nothing – NORE
• Feel It Boy – Beenie Man + Janet Jackson https://t.co/LgwpMljNCI— NUFF (@nuffsaidny) May 14, 2019
Their production credits include Kelis’ first two albums: “Kaleidoskop” (1999) and “Wanderland” (2001), “Grindin'” by The Clipse, “SuperThug” by NORE, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg, “Jay-Z Records “I Just Wanna Love You (Give It 2 Me)”, Usher’s “U Don’t Have To Call” and tons of other chart hits from Justin Timberlake, Brittney Spears, Nelly, Ludacris and Omarion to call just a few several .
Hugo’s team further alleges that “Skateboard P” “consciously and intentionally” neglected to list its partner as a co-owner in its applications and didn’t make the most of Hugo’s comments regarding its plans.
“Nothing, either written or oral, gave Williams or (PW IP Holdings) unilateral authority to register the trademarks,” Freundlich wrote.
They further stated that the mega-producer’s team admitted that The Neptunes was jointly owned by the lads and guaranteed Hugo that it might be trademarked. Although that hasn’t happened yet.
The “Happy” artist’s legal team addressed the claims in a statement to Billboard, which read: “Pharrell is surprised by this. We have been contacted numerous times regarding an interest in the ownership and administration of the trademark and will continue to make this offer. The goal was to ensure that a third party would not hijack the trademark and to ensure that Chad and Pharrell had an ownership and administration share.”
Let me call Kelis…time to leap on that little Virginian https://t.co/cOGXxn16bW pic.twitter.com/SWV6mG3d3S
– Be afraid of me. 🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@Sirforde_Vol2) April 1, 2024
The split has renewed interest in Kelis’ claims that the duo has bad practices, especially her former friend Williams. She said that in 2020, when she was speculated to rejoice the twentieth anniversary of the discharge of her debut album Guardian that the lads involved her in a bad deal that resulted in her signing with The Neptunes as an artist.
– Kelis tried to inform you all. Now Chad goes through the identical thing.” he tweeted someone with X. Another person commented“Now I wonder if Kelis was just Pharrell and if Chad could have shared the heat for it.” Third perspective on this case we read: ‘tldr; Pharrell the thief. he didn’t just rob Kelis. He also tries to rob Chad Hugo.
The “I Hate You So Much Right Now” singer stated, “I was told we would split the whole thing into 33/33/33, which we didn’t.” Instead, she stated that The Neptunes, their management and lawyers “blatantly lied” and “deceived” her.
“Their argument is, ‘Well, you signed it,'” Kelis told the British outlet. “I say, ‘Yes, I signed what I was told, but I was too young and too stupid to double-check it.'”
She admitted that she initially didn’t notice the dearth of payments for publications because she earned money from live shows. Kelis’ criticism against Williams got here into the highlight again in 2022 when she discovered that Beyoncé’s song “Energy” used an interpolation from “Milkshake.”
“Pharrell knows higher. This is a direct blow to me. He keeps doing it, he’s very petty,” she said in a video in which she sharply criticizes the artist.
Kelis added that the right thing for Williams to do would be to ask for permission to sample the song.
The interpolation was later removed by Beyoncé’s team during the drama. Williams has never made a public statement regarding Kelis.
Entertainment
The art collector left his mark on TheGrio’s Masters of the Game
In the next episode of Masters of the Game, hosted by Touré, we introduce you to Shirley and Bernard Kinsey, an influence couple who’ve dedicated their lives to preserving African American history through art and artifacts. Through greater than 50 years of marriage and a shared passion for education and history, the Kinseys have built one of the largest and most influential private collections of African American history in the world.Kinsey collection— making them true champions of history, art and cultural preservation.
Art collectors
The Kinseys have long believed in the transformative power of education. For them, educating others means sharing the wealthy history of African-American culture through art and historical artifacts. Their collection includes works by iconic artists corresponding to Ernie Barnes, Charles Alston and Beauford Delaney, nevertheless it is their collection of rare historical documents that really stands out. Among their treasures is a heartbreaking nineteenth century letter delivered by an enslaved girl who couldn’t read – she was sent from one plantation to a different under false pretenses. The next work of their collection is Zora Neale Hurston’s brave and hilarious letter to her ex-husband, through which she asks him to remain out of her life endlessly.
From humble beginnings to becoming one of the most influential black couples of our time, Toure’s conversation with the Kinsey family takes us on a journey through the depth, resilience and radiance of African-American culture. Their collection not only preserves history, but in addition inspires future generations to inform their very own powerful stories, making the Kinseys true masters of the game. Don’t miss this episode of “Masters of the Game” at 8 p.m. ET on Friday and 1 p.m. ET on Saturday on TheGrio Cable Network.
Entertainment
Simone Biles torn apart after giving George Strait’s wife a ‘vulgar look’ while fans came to her defense
Did Olympic gymnast Simone Biles cut George Strait’s wife’s eyes on the Country Music Awards?
Some people think so after a viral video of Biles, 27, showing her frustration within the audience on the 58th annual CMA Awards on November 20.
In several clips circulating online, the 27-year-old gave Strait’s wife, Norma Strait, a “dirty look” on the annual awards show where her husband was honored with the John Paul II Lifetime Achievement Award. Willie Nelson.
“Does anyone know if there is a dispute between Simone Biles and George Strait’s wife?” – one in all the X users asked on the evening of this system.
X’s post included a clip of Biles looking nervous as Norma and other attendees danced in the gang on the Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony tribute performance.
The tribute to the “King of Country Music” featured country stars Lainey Wilson, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum. Additionally, Chris Stapleton joined Strait on stage to walk through the “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame” to conclude the segment.
Speculation about Biles’ possible disdain shown on the CMA Awards has turn into a topic of debate online, with fans and critics taking sides in the controversy.
“I watched it live and wondered the same thing, and then death looked up and down, she definitely hated!” answer on X platform he stated.
Original X poster he replied“As long as I’m not the only one who saw it.”
However, the legendary gymnast had her defenders. For example, user X sent“He’s probably just watching her reaction (honestly) without thinking about the cameras.”
“Nothing happened” – another person he argued. “George Strait’s wife doesn’t care about messy things like that. It looks like Simone could have a resting face. She wasn’t the one black person either. There are many Black people in country music, from singers to musicians.
George Strait, 72, makes a rare appearance with wife Norma on the 2024 CMA Awards #George #quarrel https://t.co/ua4Xcsjdsq pic.twitter.com/vYByc0Ub6k
— DHNDE (@dhndecom) November 21, 2024
Similar entry To read“I saw it and cringed, it’s just her face, but she should politely decline if she doesn’t like country music.”
Another fan he wrote“She probably saw the camera give attention to George Strait’s wife and just looked around curiously. I do not think she’s giving a mischievous have a look at all, she just looks like she’s noticed that the camera is specializing in the people next to her.
Despite questions on Biles’ on-screen response, the multiple-time world champion expressed her excitement to attend the 2024 CMA Awards on the day of the event.
Biles reposted photos from the evening on her Instagram Story. In one photo, shared by hairstylist Justin Revenge, the Olympic gold medalist showed off the short red dress she wore to the red carpet, in addition to the silver off-the-shoulder dress she wore to the CMA Gala.
The star of the Netflix docuseries “Simone Biles Rising” appeared at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville to present the Female Vocalist of the Year award to country singer Lainey Wilson.
Lainey Wilson won the Female Vocalist of the Year category, beating out fellow nominees Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney and Kacey Musgraves.
Biles herself had a successful 12 months as an athlete. The Texas native won 4 medals on the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, bringing her profession total to a record 11 victories for an American gymnast.
However, Vice President Kamala Harris couldn’t replicate Biles’ success because the Democratic presidential candidate in 2024. Harris lost to former President Donald Trump within the nationwide election.
Biles publicly called on current Democratic President Joe Biden to take a stand on behalf of American women before Republican MAGA leader Trump enters the White House on January 20, 2025.
“Mr. Biden, you need to stand up, straighten your back and shake some things up before you go… xoxo women of America,” the Olympian wrote on Twitter on November 6 in response to the election results.
Entertainment
What do you know about Cynthia Erivo?
With the discharge of Wicked fast approaching, it’s protected to say that Cynthia Erivo is on fire straight away.
The film adaptation of the Broadway musical (which is an adaptation of a best-selling novel based on one other novel) is about to open to over $175 million worldwide this weekend, and Erivo has just landed a significant deal.
Universal Pictures has struck a first-look cope with its production company Edith’s Daughter, Deadline reported.
“Having spent the last three years working with Donna Langley, Peter Cramer and the Universal team on Wicked, I have experienced first-hand the love and fearlessness with which they tell stories and uplift narrators,” said Erivo. “I am absolutely delighted to take the next step in our cooperation under our first-look agreement. This is not only a milestone for my production company, but also a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of diverse voices in film. I can’t wait to bring our visions to life and share them with the world!”
However, some could also be just discovering the 37-year-old from Stockwell, London (where she was born right into a family of Nigerian immigrants) or may don’t know about her background and profession to this point. There’s quite a bit to like about the Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner – and much more to grasp beneath the surface. Below we have gathered some things you have to know about Erivo, including some very necessary ones.
He is a Broadway sensation
Before Erivo became a star of the silver screen, she made a reputation for herself on the stage. The actress’ breakthrough role was the role of Celie within the musical adaptation of “The Color Purple” on Broadway. From 2015 to 2017, she delivered critically acclaimed, groundbreaking performances, winning the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
She has played several iconic black characters
Aretha Franklin, Harriet Tubman and Recy Taylor are black American historical figures immortalized on screen by Erivo, who has played all of them in movies. Shortly after her Broadway run in 2017, Erivo played Taylor in “The Rape of Recy Taylor.” She then starred as Tubman within the 2019 film “Harriet.”
In 2021, Erivo played Franklin within the National Geographic anthology “Genius: Aretha”. While critics praised her performance, Franklin’s family had a special tackle the project, claiming she was never consulted and even felt “disrespected” by the production team.
He is a queer icon
Earlier this yr, Erivo received the Schrader Award from the Los Angeles LGBT Center as a self-proclaimed member for her talent and support of the queer community.
“Acknowledging that I am queer publicly – especially in the public eye – means taking a risk to claim my freedom,” she said in her speech through which she agreed to return out as queer later in life. “It seems we prefer to see the world in black and white rather than accept the difficult (but beautiful) complexities of our humanity.”
Although it has never been explicitly confirmed, Erivo has long been considered one half of a fairly powerful Black Hollywood power couple, as she is commonly seen at red carpet events alongside fellow industry heavyweight Lena Waithe.
He has a novel sense of fashion
From shaving her eyebrows to her signature long and ornamental nails, Erivo is understood for her daring sense of fashion. Her uniqueness was even incorporated into her makeup for “Wicked.” The makeup artist used stencils to attract eyebrows and add freckles. Meanwhile, a special shade of green face and body makeup was developed to make Erivo’s melaninated skin appear “clearly” on screen, and the shade was named “Cynthia Green,” the film’s makeup artist said People Magazine. It’s value noting that despite the hours-long application process required day by day for months of filming, she also said that Erivo “never, ever, ever complained.”
She doesn’t suffer fools
Social media was abuzz this week with response to actor/podcast host Dax Shepard’s invasive query about Erivo’s signature elaborate manicure, specifically how he moves through it while using the lavatory. When footage of her interview with Shepard hit the Internet, many individuals were quick to sentence its inappropriateness, asking her how she wipes herself while having very long, jeweled nails.
“My answer is that no one wipes their ass with just their fingers. You use wipes, right? And you wipe it off,” she replied calmly.
Erivo further expressed her annoyance with this query; the one she had exhibited before.
“I understand, it annoys me. Come on, guys,” she said. “I understand, but I’m a functioning adult and I’ve never walked around smelling like… you know.”
People participating within the discussion found this query rude, disgusting and invasive. It can also be, as Erivo identified, unoriginal. In response to this viral exchange, some have responded by demonstrating how they adapt these very human processes to long fingernails – and shockingly, it’s just about the identical process we have all been doing since potty training. It’s really not that complicated.
He has some questionable tweets in his search history
When it was announced in 2018 that Erivo would play Harriet Tubman within the biopic “Harriet,” the British actress’s seemingly problematic comments made years earlier about the language of Black Americans inevitably resurfaced. As previously reported by theGrio, this compounded existing questions about the choice to forged British-born Erivo because the historical African-American hero, given what some perceived as a disdain for African-American culture.
“As for the tweets, they were taken out of context, giving me no room to explain what they meant – and they weren’t actually mocking anyone,” she explained on the time: Complex reported. “It was not intended to be (offensive) at all. It was to celebrate a song I (wrote) when I was 16.”
Speaking further about the controversy during an event on the Toronto International Film Festival, she said: “I actually have never… never spoken negatively about people because I don’t desire to; I don’t desire this energy to be passed on to others.”
She continued: “I do not think it’s good for us in any respect; I do not think it serves any purpose apart from to bring negativity into my life and yours, and I just don’t desire that.
Perhaps he has some tension with the band in “The Color Purple.”
For unknown reasons, Erivo claims she was not invited to a special screening of the musical “The Color Purple” for family and friends, which was also attended by other members of her Broadway forged. It’s a bit strange that the Tony-winning revival star wasn’t on the guest list. When asked about her apparent rejection in the course of the interview and whether it reflected her initial considerations for Celie’s role within the film adaptation, Erivo suggested she couldn’t talk about it.
Despite every little thing, he’s capable of admit his mistake
Erivo can have had mixed emotions previously as a result of questionable comments or her unwavering passion for her craft, but she is ultimately capable of admit when she was incorrect. In the lead-up to Wicked’s premiere, fan-made art got here to light that edited the film’s poster to look more like the unique Broadway Playbill, obscuring Erivo’s direct gaze with the brim of her witch hat. The actress was initially very offended, but later admitted that she can have overreacted.
“I think for me it was a human moment…” she later explained. “I probably should have called my friends, but I’m fine.”
After all, she is an expert
Say what you want, but Cynthia Erivo is robust and talented. He can also be a one that is alleged to place the nice of the team ahead of his personal glory. During a recent appearance on “Cutting room floor” podcast, she described her technique of coming into harmony together with her “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande and the way the 2 worked together to create a unified sound fairly than resorting to diva-like behavior in an try and outshine one another.
For example, although she and Grande have very different voices, Erivo noted that what they’ve in common is way more necessary.
“I think what connects us is the way we hear music, so we can hear each other,” she explained. “And the beauty of singing with someone who can also hear is that you follow each other back and forth. We can find ways to make our textures and sounds make sense, and that’s really hard with humans.”
Erivo added: “It also signifies that you found someone completely selfless because they care about working with you, and being an element of that’s essentially the most amazing thing. When you find someone who’s committed to creating sound together, (there may be) no ego.
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