Pharrell Williams drops free ‘Black Yacht Rock’ album

Without any warning, Pharrell Williams surprised fans with the release of his latest body of work, VIRGINIA: Black Yacht Rock Vol. 1 City of Limitless Access. The 10-track project appeared on blackyachtrock.com on Friday (April 5), where it is available to play and download for free.

The mega producer is heard offering up his lofty falsetto throughout the album, which boasts song titles such as “Just For Fun,” “Caged Bird Free,” “Who Needs Rest?” and “Going Back to VA.” It should also be noted that the mp3s are not available on any other streaming platforms, and the hitmaker has not shared any posts acknowledging the drop or interviews shedding insight on how the project came together.

One fan’s reaction to the new music on Twitter read, “Nah… Pharrell is in his bag with this album. The mix is super demo-ish, and [the] melodies are outta here. Some of the musical soundscapes are really beautiful.” “I didn’t have Pharrell releasing a free Steely Dan/Michael McDonald type of album and releasing/distributing it independently for free on my bingo card, but here we are, and I love it,” wrote another supporter.

This marks his first solo release since Girl, which was released in 2014, featuring the widely popular song “Happy” from the film Despicable Me 2. His debut solo album, In My Mind, came out in 2006 and includes the well-known hit “Can I Have It Like That.”

Last summer, Williams hinted at being in a creative space that could lend itself to a new N.E.R.D. album. In an August GQ feature, he said he was in the studio with his longtime collaborators Chad Hugo and Shay Haley. At that time, 12 records were complete.

“It’s good, bro, it’s good. This is like that feeling that I felt when we made In Search of...,” he told Tyler, the Creator, who conducted the interview. “I won’t sit here and tell you that they were hits. I knew it was different, and I knew there won’t be nothing out there like this. But I’m talking about the feeling. I wanted to do everything. I wanted feelings. I wanted the motherf**kin’ great composition,” he said. The band’s fifth studio album, No One Ever Really Dies, came out in 2017. Despite the Virginia native candidly speaking about constantly making music, fans never heard a peep about if or when they could expect a new release.

As previously reported by REVOLT, earlier in the week, Williams made headlines when it was revealed that he and Hugo entered a legal fallout over the rights to The Neptunes brand name. His longtime friend accused him of “fraudulently” filing copyright applications to trademark the brand for various uses.

"Throughout their over 30-year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to and have divided all assets equally," Hugo's lawyer, Kenneth D. Freundlich, told Billboard. “By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from any and all applications filed by [the] applicant for the mark, ‘The Neptunes,’ [the] applicant has committed fraud in securing the trademarks and acted in bad faith.”

A representative for Williams addressed the matter in the following statement to the outlet: “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 two men have been partners since the ‘90s and contributed to the shaping of Hip Hop’s sound throughout the early 2000s with bangers like Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” Usher’s “U Don’t Have To Call” and many, many more. In 2022, their contributions to music were recognized by the industry when they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

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