Chad Hugo Enters His Solo Era With New Single “Jumpupw!nya” — Listen
Best known as one half of the production duo The Neptunes, Grammy-winning Filipino-American producer Chad Hugo enters his solo era.
Courtesy of @chadhugo
Courtesy of @chadhugo
Grammy-winning producer Chad Hugo, best known as one half of the production duo The Neptunes, releases his first-ever solo single, “Jumpupw!nya,” via Hugo’s newly launched label Galaxie Records.
Produced by Hugo and Cadenza (Oliver Rodigan), the hip-hop track features rappers Tierra Whack & Leikeli47.
“For those that don’t know, I’m from Brooklyn by way of Virginia; so when Chad called, I leapt at the opportunity to collaborate. Love to the amazing Tierra Whack. I’m just happy to play my part,” Leikeli47 shares in a press release.
Along with the track’s release comes a retro, sci-fi-inspired music video. Watch it below:
After his decades-long career as a producer and collaborator with Pharrell Williams, this marks the Filipino-American producer’s first release as a solo artist. As part of The Neptunes, he has co-crafted hit records in contemporary pop, hip-hop, and R&B for some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Beyoncé.
Alongside the Neptunes and after producing songs for artists in the early 1990s, Hugo and Williams teamed up with Shay Haley to form the rock and hip-hop band N.E.R.D. Together, the trio released five albums between 2001 and 2017.
Since 2024, Hugo and Williams have no longer been on speaking terms after Hugo filed a trademark dispute over the Neptunes’ name. As of this writing, the duo is still in dispute over earnings from N.E.R.D.’s final album, No One Ever Really Dies.
Listen to “Jumpupw!nya” below:
Frequently Asked Questions
Chad Hugo is a Grammy-winning, Filipino-American producer who forms one half of The Neptunes, alongside Pharrell Williams.
“Jumpupw!nya” is Hugo’s first-ever solo single, a hip-hop track produced with Cadenza (Oliver Rodigan) via his new label, Galaxie Records.
“Jumpupw!nya” features rappers Tierra Whack and Leikeli47, marking Leikeli47’s first collaboration with Hugo.
Galaxie Records is Chad Hugo’s newly launched label, home to his solo debut single “Jumpupw!nya.”
Since 2024, the two have been estranged after Hugo filed a trademark dispute over The Neptunes’ name and N.E.R.D. album earnings.
