Pharrell Williams
Robin Thicke and Pharrell Lose ‘Blurred Lines’ Lawsuit
A California judge has ordered Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams to pay nearly $5 million in damages over similarities between “Blurred Lines” and Marvin Gaye‘s “Got To Give It Up.”
In addition, Gaye’s estate will also receive 50 percent of future songwriting and publishing royalties from the 2013 hit.
The ruling ends a landmark five-year legal battle in which Gaye’s family alleged that the artists were guilty of copyright infringement. The pair filed for an appeal in 2015 after a jury ordered them to pay $7.4 million in damages, later reduced to $5.3 million.
Related: Watch N.O.R.E.’s ‘Uno Más’ Video Feat. Pharrell Williams
Watch N.O.R.E.’s ‘Uno Más’ Video Feat. Pharrell Williams
After breathing new life into “Uno Más” with an official remix in March, N.O.R.E. has delivered a visual for the original Pharrell Williams-assisted anthem.
The fitting video shows the artists performing with a band on a tropical set.
Grab a drink, watch above, and download the track on DJcity.
Related: Watch Calvin Harris’ ‘Feels’ Video Ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean
Jimmy Iovine Recalls Hearing Dr. Dre for the First Time
Jimmy Iovine with Pharrell and Scott Vener. (Photo source: Instagram)
Music mogul Jimmy Iovine has been making the rounds to promote his upcoming documentary on HBO, The Defiant Ones. The four-part series, which premieres July 9, tells his and Dr. Dre‘s stories and 20-year-plus partnership.
During a recent interview on Pharrell and Scott Vener’s show on Beats 1 Radio, Jimmy recalled hearing Dre’s music for the first time.
“When I met Dre, and I heard his music on my speakers, it was like when I first heard Phil Spector. … It just sounded like nothing I’d ever heard before. It sounded like it was gonna affect every record that ever came out, including rock music, and I knew nothing about hip-hop. But I just felt it at that moment and I said, ‘This guy will define Interscope.'”
Jimmy admitted he wasn’t a fan of hip-hop at the time, but Dre changed that.
“The bottom end [of hip-hop records] was a mess; I know they were trying to do it on purpose or something. There were 808s, and none of it was making any sense to me. Dre used all that stuff, but he made it sound like Pink Floyd was doing it. And I was like, ‘Okay, this is something special.’ It was different from everything else.”
It wasn’t just Dre’s sonic ability that impressed Jimmy, though. The executive said he saw similarities between the Compton producer and The Rolling Stones.
“I heard [The Chronic], and then I started to understand who these guys were and what they were doing and how much they reminded me of The Rolling Stones. Because the Rolling Stones, when I was a kid, they’d scare you, but they’d bring you in with their music. Their music was so cool that they’d lure you in but what they were doing was their form of anarchy in those days, you know. Snoop and Dre reminded me of Mick [Jagger] and Keith [Richards].”
Among other topics, Jimmy also criticized how the music industry has handled the digital revolution.
Watch him discuss Dre:
Watch him discuss the industry:
Related: Jimmy Iovine Recounts His Early Days as an Engineer and Producer, Launching Interscope
Watch Calvin Harris’ ‘Feels’ Video Ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean
Calvin Harris has shared a video for “Feels,” his new single featuring Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean. The colorful visual finds the four superstars hanging out at what appears to be a secluded island.
The track, which was included last week in DJcity’s Spotify playlist, is currently No. 3 on DJcity’s Hot Box. It will appear on Harris’ Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 album, due out June 30.
Watch the video above and download “Feels” on DJcity.
Related: Mayeda Covers Calvin Harris’ ‘Slide’
Pharrell’s Signature Four-Count Intro
You may have noticed that many of Pharrell Williams‘ productions begin the same way. That’s because he has a signature four-count intro that he’s used throughout his career.
The technique loops the first beat of the song four times. The track then begins after the fourth count.
In honor of his 44th birthday, Genius has put together a video that highlights a few of his most famous productions that use the technique. It includes songs you may not have known that he produced, such as Frank Ocean’s “Sweet Life” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.”
Check out the examples above.
Related: Pharrell Talks Politics and Music Business on ‘The Breakfast Club’
Pharrell Talks Politics and Music Business on ‘The Breakfast Club’
Pharrell stopped by The Breakfast Club show on Monday to talk about his new film, Hidden Figures. The Grammy-winning producer also spoke about politics and the music industry.
On the current political climate:
“I personally think that women and millennials will essentially be the larger number that ends up saving us in four years … Women have compassion. They think about the world. They birthed the world. The whole entire world came through the conduit of the woman’s body. Women consider that.”
On Trump winning the election:
“This pressure that’s gonna come about is going to make the best art, the best music, the best design, the best fashion. It’s going to be amazing. That’s one of the good things that’ll [come from the election].”
On the challenges of working in the music business:
“It’s not like in football where they actually sit down and have you take a course and [teach you] what to avoid and people to stay away from. They don’t do that in the music industry. This is the most abused industry ever … There’s some really nice and brilliant people that are in the music industry right now, but we need more of those people to be empowered so that they can continue to empower the artists.”
Watch the full conversation below.
Related: Watch the Video for Kid Cudi’s ‘Surfin” Ft. Pharrell
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