LEGAL TUSSLES AND TROLLS: WHEN MUSICIANS HIT THE WRONG NOTE

Amid a court battle between longtime friends Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, we take a look at some musicians from the West who have lately been in the headlines for not-so-musical reasons

Billie Eilish

The 22-year-old Happier Than Ever (2021) singer received flak after she called out artistes for releasing several versions of their albums in different packaging, thus contributing to environmental damage. After facing backlash from fans of singer Taylor Swift, Eilish claimed that she wasn’t pointing fingers at anyone in particular. “I wasn’t singling anyone out, these are industry-wide systemic issues,” she said on her Instagram Story on April 1.

Kanye West

Rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has been accused of racism by his ex-employee Trevor Phillips. In a lawsuit filed on April 3, Phillips claimed that he had witnessed the CARNIVAL singer’s homophobic and anti-Semitic outbursts several times. Furthermore, he alleged that the 46-year-old had berated and humiliated him in front of others, and that several employees agreed that Ye treated his Black employees worse than the others.

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo

Singer Pharrell Williams and record producer Chad Hugo, who are part of the songwriting duo The Neptunes, are locking horns over the group’s name. In legal documents filed this month, Hugo’s attorneys accused Williams of “fraudulently” seeking control over The Neptunes’ trademarks, which they claim is a violation of a deal between the two. On the other hand, a representative for the Happy (2014) singer said that “Pharrell is surprised” by the dispute. Williams and Hugo have known each other since childhood and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022.

Jimmie Allen

The country music singer and songwriter was ensnared in a sexual assault lawsuit that was dropped only this March. Filed by one of his former managers last June, the case accused him of regularly sexually abusing and harassing his manager between 2020 and 2022. While the plaintiff, who remains anonymous, has now agreed to a settlement, Jimmie Allen continues to remain the subject of a second, unrelated sexual lawsuit also filed last June by a different individual.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

Rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P Diddy and Diddy, is facing allegations of sexual abuse, rape and sex trafficking since March. Amid an ongoing probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the 53-yearold’s properties in the USA were raided by the Department of Homeland Security. A former FBI agent said that the Act Bad (2023) hitmaker will not be able to “pay” his way out of trouble.