I love Latina women
Veteran
Inside a cavernous space at the Record Plant recording studio in Hollywood, Chad Hugo is taking jump shots on an above-regulation-size hoop. He’s missing every one, but he couldn’t appear more relaxed. He takes off his button-down shirt, tie, and beanie to reveal a Tupac shirt. I tell him that today is the 18th anniversary of the rap icon’s death. Hugo raises an eyebrow, takes his phone out, and corroborates by way of Google. He shakes his head in disbelief, not so much at the anniversary itself, but that he was so absentminded in the first place.
“I grabbed the first shirt I saw this morning,” he says quietly. “I guess we can thank Urban Outfitters for that.”
Behind the room’s glass window sits a mixing board. Behind that, The Wrestlers, an electronic duo from Houston whose upcoming project Hugo is executive producing, are banging club beats. Between baskets, Hugo hears the music. He glances up at the ceiling, nodding along, and sinks his first basket.
“It took ten shots, but I’m glad it finally went in,” he says, flashing a smirk.
The producer points beyond the wall and says, “The summer of 2001, man, we had so much going in here. We had Snoop in this room that’s no longer a room, Nelly in another, and I can’t remember who the other one was. But it was non-stop.”
Hugo’s familiarity with the famed studio goes back over a decade. It is the site of many of his and longtime production partner Pharrell Williams’s greatest hits. This place is one of the main reasons he leaves the comfort of his Virginia home, where he resides with his family, to head westward.
While Pharrell Williams has served as the face for both The Neptunes and their kitchen-sink funk-rock project N.E.R.D., Hugo has remained largely behind the scenes. In recent years, Pharrell’s star has risen through collaboration with stars such Daft Punk, Gwen Stefani, Robin Thicke, and Alicia Keys as well as his own hit singles (“Happy,” anyone?); meanwhile, Hugo has contented himself working with less established talents such as Kenna, Earl Sweatshirt, The Internet, and the Malaysian singer/songwriter Yuna, as well as scoring Manny, a documentary about the famed boxer Manny Pacquiao.
As an extension of his preference for remaining behind the scene, Hugo rarely speaks publicly. As we talk for about 30 minutes after shooting hoops, Hugo’s comments range from evasive to elusive. But that’s not because of a lack of respect or attention; instead, it’s because he has so many different things going through his mind that he’ll say whatever pops in his head, relevant or not. He perks up when we talk about his family. One of Hugo’s biggest thrills came when his oldest saw a N.E.R.D. show in Virginia earlier this year.
Hugo remains is a student of music, and his Chad Hugo Experience project is a work in progress, or as his manager Corey Smyth succinctly says, “Chad’s going to do what Chad wants to do.”
After we spend about 45 minutes in the big room, Hugo says half-jokingly he should record my voice on a track for his Chad Hugo Experience. After I divulge that I was booted from my elementary school’s chorus, Hugo’s much needed chai tea from a nearby Starbucks arrives and provides a needed jolt. It also signifies that he needs to return to his session.
As The Wrestlers’ latest track blares from the pristine speakers, Hugo subtly nods his head up and down. As the beats get punchier, his enthusiasm grows. The same satisfying smirk that he flashed after nailing his first ten-footer is back after he hears a particular break in the middle of the song. Hugo slowly drifts from the mixing board to upper area on the wall, lurking in the background, which is just the way he likes it.
“I grabbed the first shirt I saw this morning,” he says quietly. “I guess we can thank Urban Outfitters for that.”
Behind the room’s glass window sits a mixing board. Behind that, The Wrestlers, an electronic duo from Houston whose upcoming project Hugo is executive producing, are banging club beats. Between baskets, Hugo hears the music. He glances up at the ceiling, nodding along, and sinks his first basket.
“It took ten shots, but I’m glad it finally went in,” he says, flashing a smirk.
The producer points beyond the wall and says, “The summer of 2001, man, we had so much going in here. We had Snoop in this room that’s no longer a room, Nelly in another, and I can’t remember who the other one was. But it was non-stop.”
Hugo’s familiarity with the famed studio goes back over a decade. It is the site of many of his and longtime production partner Pharrell Williams’s greatest hits. This place is one of the main reasons he leaves the comfort of his Virginia home, where he resides with his family, to head westward.
While Pharrell Williams has served as the face for both The Neptunes and their kitchen-sink funk-rock project N.E.R.D., Hugo has remained largely behind the scenes. In recent years, Pharrell’s star has risen through collaboration with stars such Daft Punk, Gwen Stefani, Robin Thicke, and Alicia Keys as well as his own hit singles (“Happy,” anyone?); meanwhile, Hugo has contented himself working with less established talents such as Kenna, Earl Sweatshirt, The Internet, and the Malaysian singer/songwriter Yuna, as well as scoring Manny, a documentary about the famed boxer Manny Pacquiao.
As an extension of his preference for remaining behind the scene, Hugo rarely speaks publicly. As we talk for about 30 minutes after shooting hoops, Hugo’s comments range from evasive to elusive. But that’s not because of a lack of respect or attention; instead, it’s because he has so many different things going through his mind that he’ll say whatever pops in his head, relevant or not. He perks up when we talk about his family. One of Hugo’s biggest thrills came when his oldest saw a N.E.R.D. show in Virginia earlier this year.
Hugo remains is a student of music, and his Chad Hugo Experience project is a work in progress, or as his manager Corey Smyth succinctly says, “Chad’s going to do what Chad wants to do.”
After we spend about 45 minutes in the big room, Hugo says half-jokingly he should record my voice on a track for his Chad Hugo Experience. After I divulge that I was booted from my elementary school’s chorus, Hugo’s much needed chai tea from a nearby Starbucks arrives and provides a needed jolt. It also signifies that he needs to return to his session.
As The Wrestlers’ latest track blares from the pristine speakers, Hugo subtly nods his head up and down. As the beats get punchier, his enthusiasm grows. The same satisfying smirk that he flashed after nailing his first ten-footer is back after he hears a particular break in the middle of the song. Hugo slowly drifts from the mixing board to upper area on the wall, lurking in the background, which is just the way he likes it.
