What About Chad?

Pharrell Williams has been an inescapable presence on the pop landscape for the last year. But what happened to everybody's second favourite Neptune, Chad Hugo?

For the kids who came in around 'Get Lucky', a quick history lesson: Chad Hugo was Pharrell Williams' partner in The Neptunes, one of the most successful production and songwriting duos ever (they racked up 24 Billboard Top 10 hits in the late '90s and '00s).



N.E.R.D., the band Hugo and Williams were in together, released their last album in 2010, and things have been fairly light on the Neptunes front since then.

Pharrell just released a solo album, 'G I R L', that was preceded by monster hits with Daft Punk and Robin Thicke and a best-selling contribution to the 'Despicable Me 2' soundtrack. He performed a career-spanning solo set at NBA All-Star Weekend and got Meryl Streep dancing at the Oscars. He also wore the hat heard 'round the world.

So what's Chad been doing, aside from swimming in pools of Neptunes money?

He's been checking out those hoverboards...

Check out this HUVr board! http://t.co/VEwpyY73Xj via @huvrtech

— Neo-Thrift-Musica (@ChadHugo) March 4, 2014

Gotta save up for one of those new Hoverboards

— Neo-Thrift-Musica (@ChadHugo) March 5, 2014

He's been retweeting Ellen's selfie...

If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014

He's been dropping knowledge...

A Lanyard is a rope or cord typically worn around the neck to carry an object.

— Neo-Thrift-Musica (@ChadHugo) February 21, 2014

He's been enjoying Butterfinger butter cups...

Butterfinger butter cups are off the chizzain.

— Neo-Thrift-Musica (@ChadHugo) December 31, 2013

He's been dropping you a line...

Have you heard of the the great new game called "Email Blaster"? I'm playing it right now.

— Neo-Thrift-Musica (@ChadHugo) March 5, 2014

He's been shopping...

Today's grocery list: blank compact disks and maple cashews..

— Neo-Thrift-Musica (@ChadHugo) December 9, 2013

He's been having an identity crisis...

I just changed my name to Neo-Thrift Musica

— Neo-Thrift-Musica (@ChadHugo) October 20, 2013

He's been performing at Pharrell's "solo" set at All-Star Weekend...

Backstage w/@bustarhymes @pharrell & legendary Verdine White of Earth Wind and Fire #neptunes #nba #nola2014 pic.twitter.com/hMlYjx1Zoq

— Neo-Thrift-Musica (@ChadHugo) February 17, 2014

And he's been throwing back to a time when he was just as ubiquitous as Skateboard P (even if it was in a 'Wait, who's that guy?' sort of way)...

“@i_am_OTHER: #TBT @SnoopDogg x @MariahCarey x @Pharrell x @ChadHugo #throwback #fam #iamOTHER pic.twitter.com/T32Sq1t3Pr” "blackberry"

— Neo-Thrift-Musica (@ChadHugo) October 4, 2013

So, you know. Regular Chad stuff.

And, oh yeah, he's been making music. He contributed this beat to Malaysian artist Yuna...



He's also been working on original productions and remixes with his buddy Daniel Biltmore under their MSSL CMMND moniker, because sometimes, you just have to know what Chad Hugo's take on Crowded House and Fleetwood Mac would sound like...

Finally, no less an authority on Chad Hugo than Pharrell Williams recently promised that the duo will reunite soon.

"Chad is working," Pharrell told Power 106 last month. "We've both been super busy... He's gettin' it. He's workin' on a bunch of projects and we'll be doing a couple of them together as well. He needed to spend more time around his family, his son and his daughter and I understood that, but he's still gettin' it in... Chad is a genius."



So, that's the mystery of Chad Hugo's whereabouts solved, then.

Up next: Did Shay Haley actually exist, or was that some sort of mass hallucination?