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Source: Candice Ward / Getty / Brian Tyree Henry
The cast of Pharrell Williams’s upcoming film/musical continues to add some serious star power.
Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta, Godzilla X Kong: A New Empire) will star alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr., Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Halle Bailey in the upcoming musical from Pharrell Williams and Michael Gondry.
Like the news of Bailey joining the cast, there is no word on Henry’s role in the upcoming film. According to reports, the film will take place in 1977 in Virginia and draw inspiration from Williams’ childhood at Atlantis Apartments.
Martin Hynes (Toy Story 4) and Steven Levenson (Tick, Tick…Boom!) will handle the script while Williams and Mimi Valdés are producing under the i am OTHER banner alongside Gil Netter for Gil Netter Productions.
Brian Tyree Henry has become one of the hottest acts in Hollywood after making a splash with FX’s Atlanta, starring alongside Donald Glover and LaKeith Stanfield.
Since then, Henry has starred in Hollywood blockbusters like Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, the sequel, Across The Spider-Verse, Marvel Studios Eternals, Godzilla vs Kong, Godzilla X Kong: A New Empire, and the recently announced animated feature, Transformers One, where he will voice a young Megatron.
Henry will also star in the upcoming boxing drama from Amazon MGM Studios, The Fire Inside, from filmmaker Rachel Morrison, out August 9, and Apple’s upcoming crime drama Sinking Spring, which he will also serve as an executive producer on.
Of course, he will also reprise his role as Officer Jeff Morales, father of Miles Morales in Beyond The Spider-Verse, the third film in Sony’s animated Spider-Man movie franchise.
Stay booked and busy, Brian Tyree Henry; we are here for it.
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Source: L. Cohen / Getty / Chad Hugo / Pusha T / Pharrell
First Hall & Oates, now Chad and Pharrell. After the stunning news of the legendary music-producing duo’s legal beef hit the timelines, Pusha-T is now weighing in on the matter.
Spotted on XXL, Clipse member and our favorite cocaine rap supplier, Pusha-T, shared his thoughts on his favorite collaborator’s legal drama around the Neptunes trademark.
Hugo, 50, claims that Pharrell, 50, violated an agreement between the two in his attempt to secure the trademarks for The Neptunes’ name.
Taking to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday, April 2, Pusha-T touched on the matter, claiming that Hugo’s lawyer, Kenneth D. Freundlich, trying to fatten his pockets is the reason for what is going on.
Per XXL:
“There’s not a dollar involved in this stupidity,” Push commented on an Instagram post resharing the initial article. “Just a lawyer looking to drain Chad’s pocket. Unreal.”
Pusha T then reshared his comments again to his Instagram Story after IG user Artemus Gordon agreed with King Push’s assertions.
“SMH…nothing more nothing less,” Push wrote.
A Breakdown of Hugo’s Lawsuit
The Hip-Hop world collectively sighed when news broke of the two Virginia native’s legal drama. Billboard shared the details of the lawsuit.
“Throughout their over thirty year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in fact, have divided all assets,” wrote Hugo’s attorney Kenneth D. Freundlich, a prominent music industry litigator. “By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from the any and all applications filed by applicant for the mark ‘The Neptunes,’ applicant has committed fraud in securing the trademarks and acted in bad faith.”
In a statement via a representative, Williams claims the move was not to ice out Hugo but to ensure no other people can get their slimy hands on The Neptunes name.
“Pharrell is surprised by this. We have reached out on multiple occasions to share in the ownership and administration of the trademark and will continue to make that offer. The goal here was to make sure a third party doesn’t get a hold of the trademark and to guarantee Chad and Pharrell share in ownership and administration,” the statement says.
In response, Freundlich wrote, “If Pharrell’s intent was to include Chad in the filing, he should have registered it in the name of them jointly or as a partnership and not in his own name.”
We hope these two can settle this dispute amicably.
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Source: Mario Renzi – Formula 1 / Getty / Pharrell
Pharrell always seems to be in a good mood, but fans in Saudi Arabia saw a different side of the super-producer/rapper during a recent performance.
The man who traveled the globe singing “Because I’m happy” wasn’t feeling that while performing at an F1 Post Race concert in Saudi Arabia.
According to the Daily Mail’s reporting, Louis Vuitton’s latest Men’s Creative Director ended his performance early because fans in attendance would not stop throwing their light-up wristbands on the stage.
“This is the liveliest city right now on the planet but we have also got to be the safest,” Williams said to the crowd. “I know you guys are excited and I know you are wanting to throw your wrist gadgets and lights and all that, but you can’t as the girls are dancing. And me? I love women. How about you?”
He continued, “We must protect our women, so if you want to throw them lights, you have to throw them the other way, not at the stage. Who understands what I’m saying?”
Despite his warning, fans continued to chuck their wristbands on the stage. “Let’s take those stupid wristbands and throw them in the air right now when I count to three. And now we are done,” he said before exiting stage left like Jackson Heights’ own Randy Watson in Coming To America, telling the crowd, “Okay, I am going to let you all finish.”
Damn.
It takes a great deal of disrespect when Pharrell to make Pharrell end a performance early.
The “Frontin’” singer was not the only significant act during the event; Alicia Keys and Martin Garrix were headliners.
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Pharrell Pack, a new collection of digital, physical wearables and redeemables, was curated by Skateboard P himself. Merging the worlds of tech and fashion, a natural space for Pharrell Williams, the Pharrell Pack offers buyers a variety of stylish and fun options.
The Pharrell Pack is a collaboration with Doodles, which offers a selection of physical wearables, toys, and other items alongside digital countering items. With Pharrell’s eye for fashion and style, several brands connected to the Virginia Beach, Va. native such as BBC, Ice Cream, adidas, and Humanrace. Doodles recently launched a test version of its The Stoodio, a digital home that was born from the web3 world.
Via The Stoodio, buyers can redeem their Pharrell Pack and put new fashion flourishes on their Doodles 2 avatar with the custom digital wearables. The Pharrell Pack includes three digital wearables, 1 redeemable, and one beta pass. 48 of the 300 packs will have a grail redeemable and matching grail wearable. 252 packs will feature non-green sambas as redeemable along with exclusive wearables.
If that isn’t enough, 12 Doodlees will get a redeemable for a limited-edition Pharrell 50th birthday edition green Sambas. These Sambas will not be for sale anywhere else.
To learn more about the Pharell Pack and how to snag your own, please click here.
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Photo: Doodles/Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams will be honored at the 2023 Grammys on the Hill Awards, which are set for April 26 at the Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C. The annual event brings together congressional leaders and music makers to recognize those who have led the fight for creators’ rights. This year’s edition will also honor U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).
Special guests and attendees will be announced in the coming weeks. The event is sponsored by City National Bank and benefits the Grammy Museum.
“Grammys on the Hill is a celebration like no other, spotlighting music’s unifying power as we bring together our nation’s leaders with some of the most renowned artists in the world,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “It’s a privilege to honor Pharrell alongside Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Cassidy, all of whom have fought tirelessly for pro-music policy that protects the creatives that make up our community.”
“I’m very grateful to be honored at this year’s Grammys on the Hill among some incredible other honorees who have done tremendous advocacy work for others,” Williams said in a statement. “It’s important that we show up for each other and support one another to ensure that we can keep creating.”
Williams has demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting creators’ rights and to philanthropy, from his role in founding organizations such as Black Ambition and YELLOW to his passion for social justice working with former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to make Juneteenth a paid state holiday.
Williams has received 13 Grammy Awards, including three wins for producer of the year, non-classical. He has received two Academy Award nominations – for his original song “Happy” (from Despicable Me 2) and as a producer for best picture (Hidden Figures). In 2019, he received an Emmy nomination for co-writing “Letter to My Godfather” for Netflix’s The Black Godfather about legendary music executive Clarence Avant. In 2020, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his work alongside Chad Hugo in The Neptunes.
Together, Schumer and Cassidy have championed key policies in support of music makers, including co-sponsoring the Save Our Stages Act, which was included in the bipartisan COVID relief package passed in December 2020. In 2018, Schumer and Cassidy were both co-sponsors of the historic Music Modernization Act.
The awards dinner and presentation will feature live performances and special guests. The following day, April 27, the Recording Academy will host the annual Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day, which brings together current and past Grammy nominees, along with other industry leaders, to meet with lawmakers to discuss issues facing today’s music creators.
Over the past 21 years, Grammys on the Hill has honored artists and congressional leaders alike, including Yolanda Adams, Garth Brooks, Missy Elliott, Quincy Jones and John Mayer, as well as then-Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), former Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), current Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
The annual advocacy event has also led to several major legislative wins for the music industry, most notably the Music Modernization Act.
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Something In The Water, one of the premier annual music events of the early spring season, just dropped its star-studded lineup for this year’s festival. Clipse, the duo of No Malice and Pusha T, make their return to the stage along with Lil Wayne, Grace Jones, and many more sharing headlining duties over the course of the three-day festival.
Something In The Water shared its packed lineup on Wednesday (March 15) and not a second too soon. Along with the aforementioned, talented vocalist Summer Walker, the Shaolin soldiers, The Wu-Tang Clan, and Kid Cudi will also take to the stage. Notable stars Mumford & Sons, Skrillex, and Kehlani will also rock Virginia Beach with their talented colleagues over the final weekend of April. Pharell and Friends will also be a feature of the concert and with a Rolodex like Skateboard P, there is no telling who might show up.
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Presented by Walmart, Something In The Water isn’t just about music as most know. Spearheaded under the guidance of Pharrell Williams, SITW also puts a focus on strengthening communities in need across the Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads region.
“Strengthening local communities is core to Walmart’s DNA,” said Cedric Clark, executive vice president, store operations for Walmart U.S., via a statement. “By investing in our associates and in the communities we serve, we help build a foundation where people can live their full potential every day. We’re excited to team up with Something in the Water, returning to a special place to Walmart, Virginia’s Hampton Roads, to help celebrate and empower this community we’re so proud to be a part of.”
Kicking off on Friday, April 28 through Sunday, April 30, SITW will return to Pharrell’s hometown of Virginia Beach, Va. with entertainment, seminars, community activities, brand activations, and much more. Hip-Hop Wired attended SITW in the past, and we’re here to tell you that this is one festival you do not want to miss.
Airbnb and Walmart are co-sponsors of SITW as well. Pharrell’s YouTube page will live stream the event and familiar features like the Pop Up Church Service will also be in tow.
An image of the full lineup can be viewed below.
To learn more about Something In The Water, click here.
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Photo: Brian Ach / Getty
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Source: Drake / Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin
Drake borrows some of Pharrell’s old bling to stunt on all of us in his new visual for Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin. One item, in particular, is catching fans’ eyes.
While his boy 21 Savage is beefing on Clubhouse, the Six God is hard at work in 2023, delivering his second visual of the year with “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” off collaborative album Her Loss.
The Tristan C-M-directed 2:22 visual features Drake in the Caribbean on his braggadocious vibes driving a red Ferrari Enzo while stunting in his absurd jewelry collection, now comprised of Pharrell’s $2.2 million chain and gold PSP he seemingly acquired.
The classic gold PSP (PlayStation Portable) console Drake can be seen holding in his hand while letting off bars stand out more than the chain in the video.
Per The Verge, the PSP-1000 was sold on Pharrell’s auction site Joopiter in November for a modest $20,000. The listing for the iconic device says its case is made of 14-karat solid gold that weighs 659.7 grams, and Pharrell tasked Jacob The Jeweler to bling out the device to compliment his gold Blackberry.
Last year, Pharrell tweeted that he was parting with the jewelry and other items to free himself and “for the beginning of a new era.”
Does The PSP Still Work?
What’s old to Skateboard P is new to Drizzy, who couldn’t help but stunt on everyone with Pharrell’s massive multicolor chain featuring a medallion with the Star-Trak team on it.
As for the PSP also features a custom Goyard carry case, no word if it’s still functioning. Drake did not power on the portable console in the video, but who would spend $20,000 on a broken device?
You can watch Drake call us broke in his new “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” video below.
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Photo: Drake / Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin
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