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EXCLUSIVE: How Bryan Michael Cox Shaped the Sound of R&B's Biggest Hits! | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
May 14, 2024
Discover the genius behind some of your favorite hits with Bryan Michael Cox, the secret hitmaker whose work spans decades and genres. Dive into the world of this nine-time Grammy-winning producer, songwriter, and music visionary in this must-watch interview. From shaping tracks for icons like Usher and Mariah Carey to his recent collaborations with Muni Long and Jack Freeman, Cox pulls back the curtain on his illustrious career. Whether you're a seasoned music aficionado or new to the nuances of R&B production, this video is packed with insights, stories, and a deep dive into the craft of making hits that resonate across generations. Don't miss out on uncovering the layers of creativity and hard work that define Bryan Michael Cox's legendary status in the music industry. Subscribe and explore more about the magic behind the music!
#MusicProduction #GrammywinningProducer #MusicProducer #AriLennox #BryanMichaelCox
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
1:20 - Bryan Michael Cox: Early Career, Alicia Keys & Usher
5:35 - Rico Wade & Dungeon Family: Music Legacy
8:51 - Bryan Michael Cox: Destiny’s Child Collaboration
15:59 - Bryan Michael Cox: Career Highlights
16:56 - Creative Challenges in Music Production
18:15 - Crafting “Bad Habit” with Usher
20:02 - Jermaine Dupri: Influential Collaborations
23:18 - Jagged Edge: Working with R&B Legends
27:21 - Ideal: Musical Partnerships
28:44 - Usher: Iconic Music Productions
29:40 - Mariah Carey: Studio Sessions
33:24 - Funding Dreams: Music Industry Insights
35:06 - Spotlight on Robert Glasper
38:10 - Celebrity Experiences in Music
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0:00
[Applause]
0:03
mhm my dog he's an architect yeah if you
0:07
will he's the man that's the secret
0:10
sauce behind a lot of the music and
0:13
vibrations you experienced over the
0:14
generations with a lot of slew of just
0:18
iconic artists when I say iconic I mean
0:20
the T to the tune of Usher give them a
0:23
round of applause for that to the tun of
0:26
Mariah Carey give him a round of
0:28
applause for that Mary J
0:30
give him a round of applause for that
0:32
Chris Brown give him Destiny's Child
0:35
come on man Jack Freeman come on man
0:38
money long come on man Ari Linux come on
0:42
man Jermaine depri come on man Janet
0:46
Jackson TAA Taylor come on man Nelly Neo
0:51
come on man and it goes on and on and on
0:54
and on nine time gramy winning R&B
0:57
producer singer songwriter billboard
1:00
songwriter of the year over 100 million
1:02
records sold and Counting give it up for
1:04
the one and only Brian Michael C that
1:07
was a fantastic inro my brother that was
1:10
fantastic Brother come on man I'm
1:13
selling them come on man yeah that was
1:15
fantastic yo I take you with me
1:17
everywhere man fantastic s great I
1:19
appreciate you brother Bri what's
1:20
happening what's happen all my people
1:23
come on your folks that's Tracy G right
1:25
there Trac G what's up that's Kanani
1:27
Lonnie light Lonnie what's up homie yo
1:29
Brian Michael Cox he's the son of Gordon
1:31
Commissioner Gordon Williams okay and
1:34
Suzette Williams That's Lonnie amazing
1:37
brother Commissioner Gordon Yes Man The
1:39
Legend yes man that's DB and this is
1:43
torch and that's Drew behind the table
1:45
hey man I want to say we we came back we
1:48
were in La broadcas for a weekend and
1:50
and Heather always takes me out to the
1:52
most expensive restaurants when when I'm
1:55
treating when you're treating when I'm
1:57
treating other than that we going to uh
2:00
sh on the corner or something pullups
2:02
all right yeah and so I'm sitting there
2:04
stressing on what the bill is going to
2:06
be uh cuz we had a couple people at the
2:08
table and Heather went over and came
2:10
back and said yo Brian Michael Cox is
2:12
over there said what yeah he spending
2:15
money too yo I saw your table you had
2:19
about 15 people at your table it was it
2:21
was yeah yeah it was a lot of people
2:23
over there after working on um projects
2:25
like confessions and and and and making
2:28
all of this money did you have to pay
2:30
uh that that particular dinner lunch I
2:32
didn't have to pay I I was I was there
2:34
as a guest of Alicia so we she had a
2:37
like like a like a summit she was doing
2:39
and she was basically treating everybody
2:40
that came to the summit so she was
2:42
really that big boss Felicia Butterfield
2:44
she she the one to pull shout out to her
2:46
pull the pull the the card out you know
2:49
what I'm saying I tried to I actually
2:52
actually offered to pay but she was like
2:53
n no n y'all did US y'all did me a Sal
2:55
I'mma pay did you do that knowing that
2:57
you wasn't going to have to pay because
2:58
I usually do that you know you you you
3:00
you hope that they say now they got I
3:02
got it you know what I'm saying you know
3:04
and she she did you know we you know we
3:06
always you know that's that's one of my
3:07
best friends so we always you know go
3:09
back and forth my best friend we don't
3:10
do that just usually it's more brother
3:13
and sister than best
3:14
friend what I loved about what you did
3:17
well suway wasn't there yet um just
3:19
morning and I were sitting at the table
3:21
but I was trying to get my seat and what
3:23
I loveed what you did which people just
3:25
don't do anymore like you saw me I
3:27
didn't cuz my back was turned you was
3:29
like
3:30
yeah and it was so nice it was first and
3:32
foremost it was nice to see you embrace
3:34
you and hug you and say happy new year
3:36
and all that good stuff even though was
3:38
past but people just this industry can
3:40
be so funny sometimes and for you just
3:43
to give that acknowledgement it meant so
3:46
much you know and then I didn't know a
3:48
lot of people at the table um you know I
3:51
recognized Latoya Luckett she was there
3:52
but I didn't know everybody I just said
3:54
hello but your your greeting and your
3:56
Embrace was so warm by the time I got to
3:59
the table
4:00
that sway was there and I was like yo
4:02
Brian is over there and it was just
4:04
really nice of you and I think it's
4:06
something that we need to keep going and
4:08
doing in this industry people don't
4:10
speak and I don't know what that's about
4:12
like it's crazy it's crazy I mean I'm
4:14
I'm obviously I'm I'm I'm from the south
4:16
so you know we the southern hospitality
4:19
concept is something I was raised with
4:21
but even more importantly I've been in
4:22
this business a long time and throughout
4:24
the years you know as I get older we
4:26
start losing losing people that's right
4:29
so know we've lost a lot of people you
4:31
know especially the past four years four
4:32
or five years we've lost a lot of people
4:34
so for me when I see people that I've
4:37
cross PA with or people that I've you
4:38
know I've known or or in any kind of way
4:41
had any contact with a positive contact
4:43
with I try to embrace them and engage
4:46
because you know you just never know you
4:48
know what I mean like you know like
4:49
literally Rico passed and we and
4:52
literally I I just seen Pat you know in
4:55
Houston and I didn't even see Pat at
4:57
home in Atlanta I saw him in Houston I
4:58
was in Houston visiting you know I'm
5:00
from Houston so I was I was home doing
5:01
something and I saw Pat at the spot
5:03
called 5015 and I was like yo me you
5:05
Rico Ray we got to you know we always
5:08
talk about what we going to do and then
5:10
like two weeks later Rico had passed
5:11
away so for me that's been happening a
5:14
lot the past four or five years so when
5:17
I see people when I saw Heather and then
5:19
you know I embrace you and I see people
5:21
I'm like yo what's up y'all like I I
5:24
want you to know that I that I see you I
5:26
feel you I love you you know this this
5:28
is a lot it's a lot going on and we have
5:30
to embrace each other in this in this
5:32
space you know I mean I love that you do
5:34
that man and I'm glad you brought up
5:35
Rico cuz I got a chance when Outcast and
5:38
D you know Goody Mob and you guys were
5:40
everybody was coming to the Bay Area
5:42
yeah keing Tech and I was just
5:44
supporting all that music um a lot of
5:46
folks didn't know don't fully know who
5:49
Rico Wade was and his contribution so if
5:53
I if someone was to ask you hey who was
5:55
Rico Wade and what did he do how would
5:57
you respond to that I think the best the
5:59
best answer is he was a Visionary right
6:01
you know everybody you've talked to
6:03
about him and talked to how the dungeon
6:05
family came together um R was like a
6:08
king orchestrator you know what I mean
6:10
so Pat and sleepy brown sleepy sleepy
6:15
and Ray um were the Architects you know
6:18
I mean Sleepy's father was in Brick and
6:20
you know they come from a rich musical
6:22
background R was the person that really
6:25
like saw it and put the pieces of the
6:27
puzzle together based on what I know
6:29
personally you know I what people a lot
6:31
of people don't know is I spent a lot of
6:32
time um at uh at uh stank onia I used to
6:36
have I used to rent a room St on you so
6:38
you know I spent I spent many years
6:40
there so I got a chance to know the
6:42
whole crew I got a chance to know Dre
6:44
big because I was renting a room from
6:45
them they they own the studio I got a
6:48
chance to know Ray I got a chance to
6:50
know Pat and Rico I got a chance to know
6:52
everybody pretty much very well in those
6:55
years that I was written that room so
6:57
you you get the stories you know what
6:58
I'm saying yeah and what I what I got
7:02
out of all of this especially now um is
7:05
that he was The Mastermind he was the he
7:07
was the Visionary that saw everybody's
7:09
talent and said hey you know you do this
7:12
you do that you know what I mean I got
7:14
this idea you know he the rumor was cea
7:18
was supposed to be in Outcast you know
7:19
and then he decided no no no let just
7:21
put him in good you know it was just
7:22
like he was he did that yeah like CEO is
7:24
suppos Outcast supposed to be from what
7:26
I gather Dre B and CEO then it didn't
7:29
they Chang it around and all all this
7:31
happened at Rico's Mama house so like
7:33
the dungeon it you know that was his mom
7:36
that was the west of Wade's residence
7:38
you know what I mean she let them stay
7:40
there sleep there work there he had
7:42
that's why you get the whole red clay
7:44
concept cuz the basement was unfinished
7:45
and but they had all the equipment in
7:47
there and that's where you get that
7:48
energy that with those records come from
7:50
that you know camaraderie that energy
7:53
that all of that so it was really uh you
7:56
know shocking and and you know I I mean
7:59
I you know I'm still sad about it you
8:01
know Rico passing away cuz cuz like they
8:03
would they were just getting their
8:05
flowers again it felt like organized
8:07
noise Dungeon Family was just getting
8:09
there recognition you know that Legend
8:11
status you start getting to Beyond
8:15
Legend you know I mean you the icons
8:17
icon on yeah it felt like that's it
8:20
feels like that's that energy was
8:22
happening you know what I mean were
8:23
getting recognized and people were
8:25
acknowledging the the the incredible
8:27
body of work and what they done for the
8:29
culture and for hip hop and the whole
8:31
nine and then right when you getting
8:33
ready to get your flowers you know to
8:34
have Rico the guy yeah go is uh you know
8:38
was a sad sad event and this which is
8:40
why each each and every moment we need
8:42
to be intentional and when you see folks
8:45
like we saw each other yeah that's why
8:47
we we give each other this energy man
8:49
Brian Michael Cox is here man come on
8:51
man let's talk a little bit about your
8:52
history yes
8:54
sir cuz Jermaine JD and I go way back
8:57
you know J D Lil John and I yeah go way
9:01
way way back my John too L John Man U
9:06
cuz I met D John working with JD early
9:10
on that's when he was anr he was anr so
9:13
so definit time was that
9:15
area John was anr yeah now where did
9:18
your career did it start with Destiny's
9:20
Child or no so so I'm I'm I'm originally
9:23
from Houston Texas by way of Miami I was
9:25
I was born in Miami Miami and and I
9:27
spent all my Summers there with my
9:28
grandparents and all but I was raised I
9:30
went to school in Houston right so um
9:34
High you know high
9:36
school you know you you hear the buzz
9:39
about these girls you know we would we
9:41
were all doing like you know little sing
9:43
singing competitions around town and you
9:45
know you would hear buzzing about these
9:47
girls what would they say you hear those
9:49
girls on the other side of just just
9:51
like yo these you know you knew who they
9:53
were they were a group before they were
9:55
Destiny's Child they were a group called
9:57
girls time and they had a lot of like
9:59
they want Star sech so that was a big
10:01
you know a big deal in the city like oh
10:03
you know and I you know I was you know
10:06
friends with a lot of the girls who were
10:07
in the group you know what I mean there
10:09
there there's one girl by name uh Tamar
10:11
Davis who was ended up being mentored by
10:13
Prince down the line and made made
10:15
records and one gram is with Prince and
10:16
then you know there's a Judith Franklin
10:18
who's on Broadway now she was in the
10:20
group and you know so there's a lot of
10:21
people that came from this that girl
10:24
time this particular group of people you
10:26
know what I'm saying and um Latoya luck
10:29
it um Beyonce Kelly and
10:34
Latavia uh we just ended up being really
10:36
good friends you know I mean like you
10:37
know when you kids and you all you know
10:39
dreaming about being in the music
10:41
business they were actually doing it
10:43
right so it was like you know whatever
10:47
they you know what whatever they was
10:49
happening with them they would pass down
10:50
to me so when they would come you know
10:52
to to work with you know Dwayne Wiggins
10:54
when they did that deal they would go to
10:56
the bay to work with Dwayne you know
10:57
they would you know call me long and you
10:59
know play a song over the phone you know
11:01
what I mean that was happening all in
11:03
that time wow cuz I remember when they
11:05
were in the bay I was in the bay at that
11:06
time yeah yeah they would call me you
11:09
know and that was like a like really
11:14
a a like a a consummation like yo Brian
11:17
this is what you really should do with
11:19
your life you know what I'm saying like
11:21
they've actually made it tangible you
11:23
know I mean and so I ended up doing
11:25
demos with them me you know I was in a
11:27
like a crew of my man Curtis who
11:29
actually wrote and produced love for kha
11:31
Cole okay oh one of the greatest song
11:33
he's he's a genius he's a gospel music
11:36
legend but he's also R&B say his name
11:38
again his name is Greg Curtis Greg
11:39
Curtis man shout out to you you got some
11:42
fat pockets yeah Greg Curtis and uh yeah
11:45
right yeah uh great C my man my man uh
11:49
there another guy name teron Mitchell
11:50
who was in a group called groovie that
11:51
was on Atlantic at the time and one of
11:53
my best friend Scooby who's more around
11:54
my age we were like trying to be like
11:56
this writing crew you know what I mean
11:57
this this songw writing crew and and you
11:59
know I would always pull Beyonce and
12:01
Latoya in the like practice room and
12:03
play them songs like I got another song
12:04
for you know really and and were they
12:07
writing back then too was yeah they they
12:09
they were already kind of like in that
12:11
space they were so Advanced and I know I
12:13
was in 12th grade they was in ninth
12:14
grade okay so and in the ninth grade
12:17
them being in ninth grade they were so
12:19
Advanced you know what I mean like
12:21
whatever Matthew was doing like training
12:23
them up they were so Advanced you know
12:26
what I mean and it just blew me away and
12:27
I was I was like desperate to work with
12:30
them and then one day Beyonce came and
12:32
was like hey yo my dad you know my dad
12:34
wants you know I told my dad I Want To
12:35
Do song I want to do a song with you I
12:37
want do some songs cool and then the dad
12:39
came by we played them we played Mr no
12:42
some records and he was like okay cool
12:43
I'm I'm send them down here tomorrow
12:45
they came to the studio we cut like two
12:47
or three demos like that week and I I'll
12:49
never forget it because it that was the
12:51
day that those were the days that was
12:53
like you know when you're young you're
12:54
like I want to be in a group I want to
12:55
be an artist I want to be you know you
12:57
know you don't know what you want you
12:58
know you just kind of like you know you
12:59
just kind of moving around and you want
13:01
to you you think you want to do a
13:02
certain thing those three days really
13:05
made it official for me like no no my
13:08
journey is to be a music producer my
13:10
journey is to be a songwriter I'm I'm
13:12
not supposed to be an artist yeah I mean
13:14
I knew it right then CU it was just kind
13:15
of like how so Advanced they were and
13:18
but I knew how advanced I was as a
13:20
songwriter so it was like okay no I'm
13:22
doing that like I'm not getting ready to
13:23
get on try to bust my you know bust my
13:25
ass on stage let
13:27
them you were in the 12th grade and you
13:29
knew how advanced I knew early so did
13:33
you play instruments yeah I played piano
13:35
I play guitar I play drums you know I
13:37
mean I've always played instruments and
13:38
always wrote songs it was always
13:39
something I always wanted to do so where
13:41
did your musical background come from at
13:43
home were your parents like cool enough
13:45
to let you yeah yeah yeah my whole
13:47
family is a musical family so and my
13:49
mother really encouraged it like my
13:51
mother you know was like when she saw it
13:54
when she saw that there was something
13:56
there she was just okay that this this
13:58
is what we doing okay that's what we
13:59
doing and she just poured into that you
14:02
know what I mean so really it was
14:04
literally I mean I had no other passion
14:08
can you give examples of what Advanced
14:11
looked like versus average okay so when
14:15
you when you don't it's it's about a
14:19
tone it's about control vocal
14:22
control um and a presence right some
14:25
people there some people who could sing
14:27
right we got got decent voice right
14:29
right and we know that now it's it's way
14:32
you know it's it's all subjective right
14:35
like you know just put out a record is
14:37
subjective but back in those days it was
14:39
like literally you had to go through
14:40
rigorous you know you know uh Talent you
14:45
know uh ADV like like like development
14:48
you know what I'm saying you have to be
14:49
developed you know what I mean and uh
14:53
the way that I I can say literally the
14:55
way that those girls uh caught phrases
14:59
rhythmic how you can you hear a song how
15:02
you sing it back rhythmically and it's
15:04
like a pocket yeah and it for you to
15:06
understand pocket at when you what ninth
15:10
grade what you
15:12
14 you know uh 13 14 years old to
15:16
understand pocket and to understand how
15:18
to like you
15:20
know inflections and how to what Rift to
15:23
do and what you know what I mean like it
15:26
was just it really blew my mind was like
15:30
oh wait a minute okay you know this this
15:32
is not playtime these are not children
15:34
you know when it comes to making music
15:38
Mak music they are they are you know top
15:41
of the top tier you know what I'm saying
15:42
yeah and it was like and I and I knew a
15:45
lot of people who were who you know I
15:47
went to B High School I knew a lot of
15:48
singers who were great singers I grew up
15:50
in church playing in church knew a lot
15:52
of great singers you know what I mean so
15:53
you you can recognize like oh wow the
15:55
people there people who are good and
15:56
there people who are great and they were
15:58
great they were great Brian Michael Cox
15:59
is here man this I want you to know his
16:02
history yeah cuz he's a mild mannered
16:04
individual he he ain't going to get on
16:06
the podum and tell it to you you got is
16:09
good though the humility is great
16:10
humility is great right I think when
16:13
people I mean we're live now so people
16:15
are hearing this Brian but when these
16:18
young producers and even people who are
16:19
producing now actually see this and hear
16:22
you say all of this and hear your
16:24
journey and to understand how humble you
16:28
are in it that that's a note to take
16:30
from it too you know because it's as
16:32
sway pointed out it's energy right as a
16:35
producer no matter how talented you are
16:37
how many hits that you have made when an
16:39
artist comes into a studio they want to
16:42
feel that Vibe too and sometimes it
16:44
won't click no matter how successful a
16:46
person is and it happen it h it happens
16:49
it happens and you have to also be aware
16:52
of of when it's happening you have to be
16:54
aware of when it's not clicking okay you
16:56
know what I mean can you give us an
16:57
example of that with you yeah like I
16:59
mean you know I I I don't want to say
17:01
like no names per se but what I'm saying
17:04
is like you know you could be in a room
17:06
and you know I I've been you know I'm
17:08
the way I am all the time you know what
17:09
I'm saying and some days it's you know
17:12
it's just not there you know some days
17:14
it's like you you're sitting in front of
17:15
the you know computer or you sitting in
17:16
front of NPC or you sitting in front of
17:18
whatever you're working on and it's just
17:20
like man it's it's not com what do you
17:22
do though like how have you told an
17:23
artist hey it ain't going to work uh um
17:27
well for me I
17:29
I have like cheat codes right so you you
17:32
want to come in prepared you want to
17:34
have at least you know I mean you know a
17:36
folder of Beats or some songs prepared
17:40
when you walk in usually I make things
17:41
on the spot when me and Jer go in the
17:42
studio we make things on the spot we
17:44
we're like in that space But you want to
17:46
be prepared but I think the biggest
17:49
lesson I learned I always tell the story
17:51
about what I learned working with
17:52
Jermaine and Usher was that the song is
17:54
in the conversation you always find a
17:57
song in the conversation so when it's
17:58
not clicking okay um okay no I have a
18:02
great example I I I could use her as an
18:03
example because we ended up making a
18:05
really really dope record okay my and
18:07
she's a dear friend of mine I spoke with
18:09
her earlier Kelly Roland Kelly Roland
18:11
that's come on Round of Applause when
18:13
you say her name Kelly the queen so so I
18:17
I you know was commissioned to work on
18:19
the destiny fulfilled album and I went
18:21
up you know came up here to New York was
18:23
at Sony Studios and for like the first
18:24
you know and Kelly's one of my you know
18:26
we grew up together so we we we have
18:29
great energy but it was we you know it
18:32
was like 3 four hours and you know
18:34
nothing I didn't I couldn't come up with
18:35
nothing you know what I'm saying and
18:37
then something told me to ask Kelly was
18:40
either she was about to get engaged or
18:42
she was engaged to somebody else at the
18:44
time but I asked her about a previous
18:48
situation right and because this person
18:51
came on TV uhhuh it was really random
18:54
too he was like in the studio yeah we
18:55
was the TV's on and we're talking and
18:58
this person he's he's not even an artist
19:00
he's like a manager or executive or
19:01
something like that but he was in the
19:02
car with the artist and you know what
19:04
I'm saying it was and and he came on the
19:06
screen her whole energy changed and I
19:08
was like what was that about you know
19:10
and then we started talking about it you
19:12
know what I mean and we talked for like
19:14
two hours and I was like okay you know
19:17
what I have a track that I made last
19:18
week I'm GNA play you the track and I
19:19
play the track and she was like I love
19:20
this track I was like all right give me
19:21
an hour and ended up writing the song
19:24
Bad Habit based on based on US based on
19:28
that moment
19:29
you know what I'm saying so there's a
19:31
moment I mean ended up working out for
19:33
us but like I said the first couple
19:35
hours I was just sitting like you know
19:36
looking at the keyboard like man wow
19:40
yeah know what say that's a tough
19:41
feeling though you got this artist yeah
19:43
I mean I mean get started yeah got Kelly
19:45
and she looking at me like you know you
19:48
my do that thing do the thing you do do
19:51
that thing you know yeah and uh we ended
19:53
up making a song that was just reved you
19:56
know amongst Destiny Child fans is like
19:59
really one of their good songs one of
20:00
their great songs so yeah Brian Michael
20:02
Cox we got to go down the line man it's
20:04
a lot I want to ask you and um I know
20:06
only got you here for a little bit um
20:09
Germaine dpri JD j d man I love Jermaine
20:13
dpri man that dude has been solid with
20:16
me he'll text me you know TI a lot of
20:19
dudes from Atlanta I really rock with um
20:22
Germaine depri you know all he had to
20:25
tell the world I'm the best yeah he had
20:28
to tell the world because the world was
20:30
not going to say it back they were not
20:32
going to say Jermaine thei is the best
20:35
he he would have been overlooked had he
20:37
not did these campaigns and say put Dre
20:39
up against me put puff up against me put
20:41
whoever you want to put against me and
20:43
look at my track record I am him yeah
20:46
you believe that too yeah I mean here A
20:48
Deal Jermaine is somebody who I mean
20:50
it's it's interesting because he's like
20:53
probably my best friend right now yeah
20:56
like we we we like we work together we
20:58
you know we we're together every day in
20:59
the studio knocking it out and we have
21:01
the same uh intense passion about music
21:05
and about knowledge and about really
21:07
digging and trying to find things and
21:10
you know what I mean we text each other
21:11
all day about wild things that we hear
21:13
you know what I mean um wow um but I
21:16
think for me it's interesting because
21:18
you know he's somebody who I you know
21:20
when when you are watching cuz he was so
21:23
young when he started started right so
21:26
I'm Jermaine's well jer's 5 years older
21:29
than me so so that he it was in reach
21:32
for me it felt like looking at him it
21:35
was like okay what I want is in reach
21:38
right I didn't even
21:41
necessarily think I would end up working
21:43
with him you know I mean ended up
21:44
happening was when I got when I moved to
21:46
Atlanta I got I got with a company
21:48
called noon time so my manager
21:51
time B are area so I got so I got with
21:55
noon time and Chris Ryan and noon uh
21:58
basically you know developed me they put
22:01
me with Jazzy Fay they put me with you
22:03
know Jay dub Teddy Bishop all these
22:04
other producers who were more advanced
22:06
at the time and um and I began my
22:10
development as a producer like
22:13
transferring out of being just a
22:14
songwriter and a composer to actually
22:17
like really produce my own records right
22:20
and you know Brian and Brandon Casey
22:23
from Jagged a were just you know they
22:24
was down there all the time writing
22:26
songs you know they was just basically
22:28
they were a group ja j a group but Brian
22:30
and Brandon would at noon time as
22:32
songwriters they would be I guess
22:33
chrisen was managing them as songwriters
22:36
so they would be down every day writing
22:38
songs for various artists whatever
22:39
whatever and then one day uh I guess
22:43
Brandon asked Chris like yo man who's
22:45
the who's the kid like who's the kid
22:48
that's in room D that like nobody's
22:50
going in their room and getting no
22:51
records from him who's that kid you know
22:53
and my manager Chris like yo this a new
22:56
guy we sign Brian Michael Cox boom boom
22:57
whatever yo we we want to work with him
22:59
I don't even know what made them do that
23:01
you know what me I don't know if I don't
23:02
know if they were like who's the new
23:05
young person that we can you know there
23:07
there's no like political yeah you know
23:10
what mean you get No Agenda yeah right
23:13
so then I had a meeting with them I mean
23:15
Chris made we had a meeting with them
23:16
and then it was like instantly like it
23:19
was like we got together this in we made
23:21
like I I mean we made like I would say
23:23
like maybe 50 to 60 songs Dam which one
23:26
would we know which ones oh you know he
23:28
can't love you promise
23:31
um healing what you're trying to do for
23:34
it uh I don't wanna a it's a bunch of
23:37
songs that that that throughout the
23:38
years we've gone back to the well and
23:41
pull back out but but what happened was
23:43
we were making songs to submit because
23:46
they were signning Jermaine's publishing
23:47
company we were making songs to submit
23:50
for other artists this how Jay
23:52
heartbreak even came about okay we were
23:54
making songs for other artists we were
23:56
trying to you know subit songs for
23:57
escape Smith songs for you know Usher
24:00
was working on album or whoever was
24:01
working on album so they were like we're
24:03
going to take this dat and we're going
24:05
to go we meeting with Jermain to day and
24:07
we going you know we gonna find out
24:09
what's what they go they meet with
24:11
JD um they come back they're like yo hop
24:15
in a car with us I was like okay so hop
24:17
in a car with them and we go to this uh
24:19
we go this back in the day this mall
24:21
called Rio Mall in uh Atlanta and Chris
24:24
tuck used to have a comedy club there
24:26
and Jermaine was doing a showcase for
24:29
this artist named Trina Trina brousard
24:31
oh my gosh Trina brousard is dope
24:34
Commissioner Gordon used to work with
24:36
her in his basement she's a ridiculously
24:40
talented vocalist vocal crazy crazy so
24:43
so she was she had just signed a social
24:44
death and it was putting out her first
24:46
single and he did this showcase for in
24:48
Atlanta so I go to the Showcase um and I
24:52
kind of feel like I couldn't get in cuz
24:53
I think I was too young to get into the
24:55
club so so so I'm kind of just outside
24:57
waiting on to come back out and they
24:59
come out Jermaine walks out and we we
25:03
they introduce me like J this is this is
25:05
B Cox we intr he said all right man
25:07
I'mma call you he said I I heard the
25:09
music I'mma call you right and then like
25:12
a month a month later like a month and a
25:14
half later he calls me calls the house
25:17
and M I I I had like two roommates at a
25:20
time so one of my that was College you
25:22
know a lot of Roommates bro I'm in
25:24
college you know so my my Scooby is one
25:27
of my best friends he picks up the phone
25:29
he's like man get out of here quit quit
25:31
playing he hangs the phone up and I'm
25:34
like who was that he was like man some
25:35
some dude say Jermaine Jermaine de I was
25:37
like dog that was that was Jermaine did
25:40
your heart drop I was so upset and but
25:42
but Jermaine call right back so I picked
25:44
the phone and he was like yo man I need
25:46
you to come over here maybe we going to
25:47
finish up Jack Al I was like okay cool
25:49
so then I didn't have a car so it wasn't
25:52
no Uber back then I didn't have a car so
25:54
no no Chris and Ryan had to take me
25:58
drive me all the way I was living on
25:59
North Side Drive which is near like
26:01
Buckhead or Midtown they had to drive me
26:03
all the way south to to College Park Old
26:06
National with when the studio was in the
26:08
house and they took me over to his house
26:11
and then the first song that we did was
26:13
keys to the range and then from there I
26:16
only thought we were going to do Jagged
26:17
album like you know I thought okay this
26:18
going to be a one-off I'm coming to
26:19
finish up Jags album because he likes
26:21
these songs and they're going to go on
26:23
album so he wants it to be you know
26:25
continuity to the project so cool I I I
26:28
didn't have any idea that I'd be here 20
26:30
something years later that still making
26:32
records with him you know what I mean
26:34
still you know I would have never
26:35
thought
26:37
that that's beautiful wow alignment man
26:41
alignment alignment your story is
26:42
amazing keep going so so so we ended up
26:46
finishing the J heartbreak and you know
26:49
then what started happening was he just
26:51
start you know Diane was this was pest
26:53
coordinator at the time they just
26:54
started calling me like so I was able to
26:56
I was able to buy a car after
26:59
bought a car what was it what first car
27:01
my first car was a was a I mean it was
27:03
clean but it was a 1993 Lexus sc450 and
27:07
only had 10,000 miles on at the time so
27:09
it was like damn near a brand new car
27:10
for me you know what I'm saying it was
27:12
Alex it was Alexus yeah so so uh at this
27:15
at that time I worked simultaneously I
27:17
was working you know at noon time also
27:19
so simultaneously they started placing
27:21
songs and I did a record with this group
27:24
that I grew up with this group called
27:25
ideal mhm I remember ideal a record for
27:28
them called get gone and and then that
27:30
that record kind came out before the
27:33
jaged edge album came out so that record
27:35
comes out and shoots up to number five
27:37
on R&B charts and then I'm in the I'm in
27:40
the studio with jamain that's just
27:41
happening and then jaged Edge comes out
27:43
and then the you know for the like
27:46
nobody believed that I would have the
27:48
first single because the whole question
27:49
was youo you know Jermaine he's not only
27:51
so he's Mr so so deaf he's just his
27:54
company you think that he's going to let
27:56
you have a first single on group on his
27:58
label I remember me and my manager the
28:00
only argument me and Chris ever got into
28:02
was
28:02
about about me not about about this
28:05
right because it was another record he
28:06
wanted and my manager didn't want to
28:08
give it to them you know what I'm saying
28:09
I was me and my manager fought about
28:10
this and I gave in and caved in and let
28:14
them keep the record but then I ended up
28:15
making he can't love you and then next
28:18
thing I know you know was Jermaine and
28:21
sko rock and all whole whole anr team SK
28:23
call he like yo man he can't love he
28:24
going to be the first single
28:25
congratulations and then he can't love
28:27
you comes out and shoots up the chart so
28:28
now now all of a sudden I go from not
28:30
having a car and you know nothing to
28:34
having two top you know five records R&B
28:37
charts like that living his dream man
28:39
Brian Michael Cox
28:41
[Applause]
28:43
so so after that success is is that when
28:46
Jermaine start just tapping you for the
28:49
Usher and yeah we just started so it it
28:52
just started flowing at that point at
28:53
that point the next what point of
28:54
Usher's career was this this was after
28:56
my way okay so my way came out blew up
29:00
the whole nine and um I did I I work
29:04
with him on Mariah's Al rainbow so
29:06
that's my I got introduced to ride at
29:08
that point Shake It Off and
29:09
all ear ear that's after I love rainbow
29:12
rainbow and that's was my introduction
29:14
to Usher because the song that's on
29:16
Rainbow is a duet with her and Usher
29:19
okay so that's how you know he kind of
29:22
killed two brothers and one stone with
29:23
that you know what I mean so I was able
29:25
to get introduced to Mariah and work
29:28
with her closely and write and sing
29:30
background on the song and all that and
29:32
then Usher was the duet so then it was
29:35
like okay then we had to do Usher's
29:36
vocal and then that's how that enter
29:39
that relationship that entry yeah um I
29:42
want to P pivot for a second Mariah pen
29:45
game has been extravagant her whole
29:48
career so you're writing with Mariah
29:50
yeah and she's already proven at this
29:52
point right you you know I mean she's
29:55
she's Mariah care she's
29:57
Mariah question R she's you know what I
29:59
mean she's she's the biggest thing in
30:01
the world at this point you know what I
30:03
mean but I think what's interesting is I
30:05
didn't I didn't plan I didn't plan to
30:07
write like know I thought okay we gonna
30:09
make you know come come with music cor
30:11
progressions we do the drums yeah she
30:13
going to do what she going to do but
30:14
Mariah walks in the studio with you know
30:17
the source and the dictionary and Pad
30:19
you know butterflies on her and she's
30:21
already you know what I mean got the
30:22
concept so I'm thinking okay well my job
30:26
is done I'm getting ready to you know
30:28
yeah but Jermaine's like sit down man
30:29
where you going I love
30:32
jine he already got it out he already
30:34
got it plotted out right yeah where you
30:36
going man I like yo I'm dipping we we
30:38
I'm done right no we we about to
30:42
R okay you know what I'm saying wow and
30:46
uh and then it's just kind of like you
30:48
you you she has a concept and she starts
30:50
throwing ideas out and then you just
30:52
kind of like catch it throw things back
30:54
at her and then it turns into this whole
30:55
back and forth almost like a tennis
30:57
match of words and Melodies and but it's
31:00
like a three-way tennis match you know
31:02
what I'm saying and then the the song
31:05
happens and she's as I'm writing she
31:07
hears that because I'm singing Melodies
31:08
too and she's like oh you you you can
31:10
sing too okay no you GNA you go and do
31:12
that part so on a lot of Mariah songs
31:15
that me and Jermain have written or
31:18
produced you know past rainbow and past
31:21
I'm like singing background on
31:23
background what songs so I'm singing
31:25
background on this song called make it
31:27
look good I'm singing background on I
31:29
think she kept some my vocus on Shake It
31:30
Off um say background
31:34
on Shake It Off hold on me let's leave
31:39
yeah that's you I'm taking a low not
31:41
with everybody everybody
31:44
just I'm singing alone nowhere she
31:46
stacking on top of so when you hear this
31:48
song it puts you back in the studio
31:49
right with
31:50
her let me say something about this this
31:53
particular album uhhuh making
31:56
emancipation was probably the most
31:58
incredible experience that I've ever had
32:00
in a studio why why why is that um it
32:03
was just fun yeah Mariah would call and
32:07
you pull up at the studio 2 o'clock in
32:08
the morning and you know she'd be like
32:11
I'm you know I'm I'm hop on the plane
32:12
and she'd be in Atlanta and be like I'm
32:14
in Atlanta and then you like okay J Pull
32:17
up Mariah's here you know what I mean
32:18
Mariah bring the whole Cas she bought a
32:20
Vineyard
32:21
right bought a Vineyard like we buy
32:24
sneakers Mari have bought a Vineyard
32:27
because was somewhere I think she was in
32:29
Martha's Vineyard I don't know exactly
32:30
she she told me the story she was
32:32
somewhere and she walked by this
32:34
Vineyard and the name of the wine was
32:37
Mariah and she saw it and she bought it
32:40
she bought the she bought the vend she
32:42
bought the V she bought the vineyard
32:44
because the vard was can't comprehend
32:46
had her name was her name so during that
32:49
period we they would just send boxes of
32:53
Mariah red wine to the they was lit so
32:57
so it's me Mariah Jermaine and Jon at
33:01
this point you know Jon Austin legendary
33:03
you know um and we just in there you
33:07
know drinking red wine talking having
33:09
conversations and writing and coming up
33:11
with things and just it was just
33:13
probably some of the most fun I've ever
33:15
had in the studio emancipation right and
33:18
next thing you know is emancipation IM
33:19
me okay and the whole thing they R it
33:21
drunk ain't that something that's my
33:23
kind of
33:24
writing Brian really quickly if you
33:26
don't mind you mentioned so many states
33:29
like you was here you was there you were
33:30
there to to a producer listening right
33:32
now that's trying to get a placement
33:34
that's trying to work with other artists
33:36
how do you fund something like this you
33:40
know you you had a job but how does the
33:42
average producer with a hoopie get
33:44
around from you know Texas to Atlanta or
33:47
to Miami what would you tell them well
33:50
for me how I got to Atlanta was College
33:53
you know I I you know I was I was born
33:55
in Miami my mom moved to Houston you
33:58
know early early in my life and I spent
34:01
you know all my time in Houston you know
34:03
for the most part and it's crazy I was
34:06
kind of everywhere because the way my
34:08
family structured you know what I'm
34:09
saying my family is from the Bahamas so
34:11
then so okay I'll be in Miami then be in
34:13
the Bahamas and then you know you just
34:15
so just it just it just happened that
34:17
way you know what I'm saying and then
34:19
when I ended up
34:21
um how I ended up going to Atlanta um
34:24
was for college you know I had had a
34:26
girlfriend who was you you know I
34:28
graduated high school and my girlfriend
34:30
had was was one more year behind me so I
34:33
stayed in
34:35
Houston because I you know I was in love
34:38
and I thought I was going to you know
34:39
what I mean marry this woman and she got
34:42
accepted to a bunch of schools and she
34:43
was like Hey I'm you know I'm going to
34:45
Atlanta and I was like we going to
34:46
Atlanta so you went to Atlanta following
34:49
your girlfriend absolutely wow 100% what
34:51
happened with her she's on Broadway
34:53
right
34:55
now she's doing her
34:58
got ey for talent bro yeah she she's
35:01
doing it she's killing it right now but
35:03
uh uh um I ended up going because I was
35:05
goingon to go I missed one really really
35:08
intricate part Robert Glasper is my best
35:11
friend he I grew up with him we went to
35:13
high school together me and him are like
35:15
oh Texas right our yeah from Houston so
35:18
my you know our moms were super super
35:20
close and um our familyes are just super
35:24
close like he's like my brother like
35:26
he's like he's like the you know the
35:28
brother I you know never grew up with
35:30
he's like my brother was he a whack
35:32
rapper when y'all were growing up yes he
35:34
you couldn't tell him you couldn't tell
35:35
him he went Wet okay you couldn't tell
35:37
me went Wet
35:39
yeah you know first of all first of all
35:42
glas has been the silliest dude since
35:45
day take Serious oh no like my mom was
35:47
like she first met him like who is who
35:49
is this kid why act like that all but
35:53
but so so so Glasper um is a year behind
35:57
me in school too so him and my
35:59
girlfriend at the time were in the same
36:00
class so glb got accepted to Manis to
36:04
the new school um and I I knew that I
36:08
was going to leave Houston like I knew I
36:09
was only staying in Houston that year
36:11
because I wanted to you know kind of
36:13
hang out with my friends still a lot of
36:14
my friends were a year behind me so um
36:17
and I don't really have a plan my plan
36:19
was I was going to be a producer and I
36:20
didn't know how I was going to get there
36:22
you know what I mean
36:23
so um Rob came up was got accepted up
36:26
here he got a full sh go to new school
36:28
to man School of Music and I was he ined
36:32
me introduced me to the dean like yo man
36:34
like you might want to talk to the dean
36:36
maybe you can come up to New York you
36:38
know and get you know get get something
36:40
you know sing do something you I was
36:41
like okay cool so I was talking to the
36:43
dean trying to you know come to New York
36:45
you know what I mean wow and um and then
36:49
you know my girlfriend at the time told
36:50
me she was moving to Atlanta and I was
36:52
like oh well I'm not coming to New York
36:54
going to Atlanta and Atlanta I'm so I
36:57
mean I'm so thank for her to for her in
36:59
that space I always talk about her she
37:00
she doesn't like me to say her name so
37:02
I'm not going to say her name last time
37:03
I said her name and she called me was
37:05
like stop saying my name cuz you if you
37:07
say it here I'm yeah she's going to know
37:09
so I'm not going to say her name but
37:11
she's on Broadway yeah and she's killing
37:13
it right now okay um and I but I'm I'm
37:15
so appreciative of that energy because
37:17
Atlanta was the perfect balance for me I
37:20
think that Atlanta was the perfect
37:22
balance of
37:23
hustle Southern Hospitality it gave me
37:26
Houston still gave me the the the speed
37:29
of Houston but it was you know the face
37:31
records and d and so so DEA and all
37:34
these major companies that were there
37:37
and it was it was like being in a slow
37:40
cooker yeah you know it was cooking you
37:43
know what I mean it was cooking down
37:44
there but it wasn't like I think if I
37:46
came up here and tried to go the route
37:48
that I was thinking about going like the
37:50
route was you know I was super into the
37:52
Hitman you know as a producer you look
37:54
at the Hitman you look at truck Masters
37:56
you look at you know mean
37:58
I'm like man I'm go to New York and I'm
37:59
go get with puff and I'm get and that
38:02
was my thought process but going to
38:05
Atlanta it just it was the perfect it
38:08
was the happy medium for me you know
38:09
what I'm saying I I read somewhere I
38:11
feel like that um well I know I did um
38:14
that I recall you saying that you didn't
38:17
experience celebrity till day 20 you
38:19
produced Day 26 right which was making
38:23
the B right visual is that because of
38:26
making the band Yes feel like you know
38:28
think about I mean now you know you have
38:30
social media people you know this whole
38:32
thing is a is a TV is a television
38:34
station you know what I'm saying uh you
38:36
know your Instagram your Tik Tok that's
38:37
your own programming you know what I'm
38:39
saying so but think about this in 2005
38:41
you know I mean you know it wasn't none
38:42
of that you know what I mean so so if
38:45
you were you know back then as a
38:47
producer I mean unless okay like we got
38:50
respect in the industry you know what
38:51
I'm saying but unless you was like a
38:52
artist like a Fel or Kanye or even
38:55
Jermaine or Puff or whatever right as a
38:58
producer you you you pretty much was in
39:00
the shadows you know what I'm saying you
39:01
know you think about the rich Harrison
39:03
think about I mean Rony jerkin had a big
39:06
name as a produc you but Timber was an
39:09
artist artist that's true Timberland was
39:11
an artist you know what I mean you know
39:12
I think writing Jer is probably the only
39:14
person that was like a producer strictly
39:18
and had celebrity but because he was
39:20
working with Michael Jackson and Michael
39:21
was saying his name and Brandy was
39:23
saying you know what I mean for us you
39:24
know you know no disrespect when my gu
39:26
jaget was going on television saying Bri
39:28
Michael Cox you know what I mean it
39:29
wasn't child you like that it wasn't it
39:31
wasn't what people do it was just what
39:32
when people did back then it wasn't even
39:34
like this is not even sh yeah just
39:36
that's just not what people did you
39:38
promote yourself go buy the album and I
39:40
got paid you know what I'm saying so so
39:44
what happened was the Mary Mary really
39:46
that's what started it Mary J BL Round
39:49
of Applause we say her name okay what
39:52
song was that that was uh be without you
39:54
be without you listen to that a little
39:56
bit did
39:59
that I remember the video with Terence
40:03
Howard wow yo come on man Brian Michael
40:08
here this was a game
40:11
changer this was a game
40:13
Cher come on digitally I remember the
40:16
digital conversation when the song came
40:18
out yeah so Mary what happened was we
40:23
made me and Jon made these songs and Ron
40:26
Fair we made these songs for Mary and my
40:28
manager Chris who was also kind of
40:30
Consulting Mary at the time and Mary was
40:32
just like you know she embraced us so
40:36
crazy you know what I'm saying like you
40:37
know whatever circumstances was
40:39
happening at the label at the time I
40:40
don't know what was happening but
40:42
whatever circumstances were happen when
40:43
this when these records started popping
40:46
off she just embraced us so crazy
40:49
everywhere Mary J BL went she would say
40:51
Bri Michael Cox and jont Austin like
40:53
everywhere she went wow like oh yeah big
40:57
Shout Out b j like she was literally
40:59
everywhere everywhere then she won you
41:01
know she had a big night at the Grammys
41:03
like a huge night you know what I'm
41:04
saying and she won I think best R&B
41:07
album or something like that and when
41:08
she got up there and it was like I'm we
41:10
were like the first people she thanked
41:11
you know what I mean the like bri M Cox
41:13
and jontay Austin so then what happened
41:15
was like maybe two weeks later okay
41:18
because I at the time I had my uh Chris
41:20
was my manager and jaha Johnson was my
41:22
manager so two weeks later jaha calls me
41:25
like yo hey um
41:28
puff wants you to do making a band right
41:31
and I'm like I don't know man you know
41:35
I'm like I don't know you know because
41:36
you you know I
41:38
mean what was your problem with it my my
41:41
issue was I didn't wanted to be making
41:44
the band didn't feel real to me it felt
41:47
like they were just it felt like the
41:48
show TV show it felt like the show was
41:53
about puff and not really about the
41:55
artist you know what I'm saying when I
41:57
thought about the band it was the only
42:00
reference I had was the band at the time
42:02
so I'm like I don't know man what kind
42:05
of what kind of what kind of what kind
42:07
of group you trying to do whatever
42:08
whatever what did he say was he so he
42:10
was like he was like listen man you know
42:12
it's an opportunity you're gonna be on
42:14
TV you know this my manager telling me
42:16
like you know they want to pay you you
42:18
know they want to give you a song deal
42:20
they he wants to pay you a lot of money
42:21
you know what I mean and it was a you
42:24
take that it's a girl group yeah you
42:26
know it's a girl group you know they
42:28
they didn't have they had picked the
42:29
girls already so I I missed the
42:33
season they had already picked the girls
42:35
so I I missed the season of them
42:36
choosing the girls so I came when they
42:38
were recording the album so I was like
42:40
all right I I like I like the girls so
42:45
um I went to New came I came to New York
42:48
and we started working on songs for
42:49
dentity came and then I think puff saw
42:52
my work e think and was like yo like bro
42:55
like just stay here and
42:57
you know and then you got your dream
42:59
like you always wanted to work work
43:01
exactly exactly you manifested exctly I
43:03
manifested it so we ended up doing Danny
43:06
De Kane uhhuh and um I I did I did a
43:08
single called R for you and I you know
43:11
and it was they had number one album and
43:13
it you know so then what happened was
43:15
MTV was like well what we going to do
43:17
next time and puff wanted to do R&B R&B
43:21
group yeah and he was like be Cox I I
43:24
need you on this on this show I need you
43:25
to be a part of the picking process so I
43:29
was like cool so basically when he told
43:31
me who the judges were he was like okay
43:33
you Michael Biven Joe I say oh I'm in
43:36
leg Michael loran like I'm in you know
43:39
what I mean andk I'm in right so so um
43:43
we do the the tour and find find the
43:46
guys and at the end Day Day 26 ended up
43:49
being the exact group I picked uhhuh wow
43:52
so I took it personal uhhuh I I really
43:55
took Day 26 personal like it was like
43:57
okay I'm going to do everything I can do
44:00
to make sure that this music is top tier
44:02
like I took Day 26 personal you know
44:04
what I mean so that's why we great songs
44:07
yeah yeah I really took it personal so
44:10
um because I felt like they were my
44:11
group you know what I'm saying so um
44:15
yeah I didn't realize making a band was
44:17
going to be you know you don't pay you
44:18
don't know when it's television you you
44:20
can't see it you can't see the effect
44:22
you know what I mean until you outside
44:24
somewhere you know what I mean so I
44:26
remember I came back Atlanta I'm at home
44:28
you know making the banders on
44:30
television every week or whatever and I
44:32
remember I I went to the mall and and
44:35
like five people recognized me wow like
44:37
out of from the TV you know what I mean
44:39
like yo you that dude on you you you
44:42
making a b yeah they don't know they
44:44
don't know what you do but they saw you
44:45
on TV yeah yeah so I just made it my my
44:49
duty to you know make sure that I'm I'm
44:52
I made the best music I could make with
44:54
them but everybody else was trying to
44:55
get television time so think about the
44:57
second season where there producers like
44:59
seven and you know seven had the does
45:01
and he all the Antics or whatever for me
45:03
like where everybody's doing Antics I'm
45:05
sneaking back in the studio and I'm
45:06
grabbing the guys I'm grabbing one guy
45:08
two guy come do this vocal so by the
45:10
time we we pressing play on demos we
45:13
having like the day was like yo what did
45:15
everybody do this week what are the
45:16
demos what are the songs that everybody
45:18
going to cut right I press play and the
45:21
group is already on the song the songs
45:23
are finished yeah he's like this them
45:25
singing already I was like yeah I
45:26
finished the song already he's like okay
45:29
we got Brian has one more song on the
45:32
album because it's it's easy when you
45:34
hear them on it already you know what I
45:35
mean so um it that was a great
45:38
experience for me and it and it taught
45:40
me how to it taught me teamwork you know
45:42
it taught me how to how to how to
45:44
navigate groups navigate groups
45:46
personalities you know what I'm saying
45:48
um because I didn't have to do that with
45:49
jaged Edge jaged Edge was already a unit
45:52
I have to navigate them they grew up
45:54
together it was like you know uh even
45:56
work with 112 you know they are they
45:58
they were already up group I didn't have
46:01
to like navigate that it's just like oh
46:03
we just in the studio they they know
46:04
what they doing we we we off we Off to
46:06
the Races but with Day 26 with Danny
46:09
Kane it was a it was an opportunity for
46:11
me to really like understand the dynamic
46:14
when you bring people together and how
46:16
to navigate that Brian Michael Cox man
46:20
Dam we gonna have to bring them back for
46:21
part
46:22
two need a part two come on we need a
46:24
part two Trac go I do I do just got to
46:26
say because Usher is still on my mind
46:29
off that Super Bowl halftime show we
46:31
know that Usher has the most watched
46:34
halftime show in Super Bowl history and
46:37
us as consumers as listeners we get to
46:40
see an artist like Usher evolve through
46:43
his music but the unique lens that you
46:45
have is you get to also see him evolve
46:48
as a human especially because vulnerable
46:50
conversations are a part of the
46:52
songwriting process exct can you share
46:54
with us your perspective of how Usher
46:58
has transformed and matured and shifted
47:01
as a man as the human what's interesting
47:03
is that Usher's always been highly
47:06
mature like always been like older like
47:09
wiser than his age you know what I mean
47:12
um he's always had this thing about him
47:14
he's always been you know he's had this
47:16
perspective of being he's always trended
47:18
older you know what I mean um and I
47:19
don't know if that's because years he
47:21
came down when he was a kid you know
47:22
working with puff working with LA at
47:24
such a young age um but he's always
47:27
trended wiser you know what I mean so
47:29
watching him evolve you know all of us
47:32
evolve together like we've all made you
47:34
know wild mistakes and we've all you
47:36
know what I mean and we're all been a
47:37
we've all been able to talk about these
47:38
things and um and spend really know some
47:43
real quality time together discussing
47:45
these things and coming up with
47:47
resolutions or not resolutions maybe
47:49
coming up with songs and maybe that's
47:50
just is what it is but I think that uh
47:53
his character he's he's he's a loyal
47:57
just really really good friend just a
47:59
good good brother you know what I'm
48:01
saying like you know he's just a he's
48:02
just a really good brother and he and he
48:04
wants to take all of us with him all the
48:06
time wow like all the time he wants to
48:09
take us with him like you know he's like
48:10
we doing Super Bowl you know he's like
48:12
I'm putting Jermain on stage you know
48:14
jonte you gonna run point you know Bex
48:17
and Keith y'all gonna do the Afterparty
48:19
like he's just you know he's just he's
48:22
Brotherhood yeah he's he just he's a
48:24
he's just a person that really just he
48:26
wants us there he he values our opinion
48:30
and values our perspective and I value
48:33
his you know his perspective and you
48:34
know our kids are growing up together
48:36
and it's just it's a that is that I
48:39
think is the coolest thing you know we
48:41
were kids once and now our kids are
48:43
growing up together growing up together
48:45
man Round of Applause that's I sure
48:47
could be you know I don't I don't like
48:49
the individualized greatness but he's a
48:52
goat oh he's a goat R&B come on man I'm
48:56
going to keep it and I've been in studio
48:57
with everybody obviously and um they've
49:00
you know out have everybody been in
49:02
studio with I don't I don't know anybody
49:04
more committed to the art and to his
49:08
tone and to to being him than Usher Yeah
49:12
you know what I'm saying I think I think
49:13
he's just like I work on 87 one more
49:15
time and he this before it was even a
49:17
conccept we had one song the first song
49:19
we did was You Got It Bad and we had one
49:22
one song and we were writing he came in
49:26
he had a he was wearing a sling right we
49:28
have one we only we've only recorded one
49:30
song and I'm like man what what you do
49:32
like why you got this sling he was
49:33
playing basketball or something he was
49:34
like no man I was rehearsing really I
49:37
was like for
49:40
what he's like man you know if if you if
49:43
you stay ready you ain't got to get
49:44
ready and he was like yo that song was
49:46
so great I just I I just put the band
49:49
together I just started rehearsing it
49:50
look like the one song you know and he
49:53
based off of that song he started
49:55
rehearsing
49:57
yeah he started rehearsing for like a
49:58
tour he knew it you know what I mean
50:01
like I was like yo so it's it's
50:03
interesting and another artist and I and
50:05
I I don't mean to do this in tandem but
50:07
I you know I I have to be uh I'd be
50:09
remiss not to acknowledge Chris Brown
50:12
Brown Chris Brown there you we going to
50:13
get to that anyway yes let's talk about
50:16
Chris I I'd be remiss um because can I
50:19
can I share this with you real quick I
50:21
was in a studio with Chris one time and
50:24
and I watched him record about three
50:27
songs I he's ridiculous now with it
50:28
he'll do like 10 songs in a day now
50:30
that's crazy within an hour though I
50:32
feel like yeah speak to Chris Brown
50:35
greatness Chris Brown is a person that
50:36
grew up around all of us right all all
50:40
the greatest producers all the greatest
50:42
songwriters like he was a kid you know
50:44
when Tina brought him around us he was a
50:47
kid you know what I mean but he already
50:49
had another thing like he's another one
50:51
that was from a talent perspective a
50:53
talent perspective he was beyond his
50:56
years already you know what I'm saying
50:58
and already just like a Manchild like
51:00
when I met him he might have been 14 15
51:02
something like that he was already like
51:03
6 feet like you know mean just just you
51:05
know awkward because when you're that
51:07
young and you're that tall and and then
51:09
you dancing and you know mean you know
51:12
what I mean um and he's somebody who I
51:15
took to almost immediately you know um
51:19
and we made I I knew I was like I know
51:21
what to do with this kid you know what I
51:23
mean and um Tina dropped him off to us
51:26
you know and was like all right you know
51:29
have at it you know what I mean and we
51:31
we did say goodbye winter um oh my God
51:34
and and he was somebody who early on
51:40
because I worked with Adonis who's my
51:41
you know one of my one of my right-hand
51:43
homies um early on we knew like oh he
51:46
can write he didn't really know he could
51:49
write you know what I'm saying but it
51:51
was like he was coming up with Melodies
51:52
he was like y'all like that Melody I
51:54
like that I like that word I like that
51:55
line like oh this kid could write you
51:58
know what I'm saying and so we like no
51:59
let's let's let's pour into that you
52:01
know what I'm saying let's let's you
52:02
know so that's how we you know we came
52:04
up with those songs because it was like
52:05
oh oh we realized oh this kid is not
52:07
just a dancing you know he this kid's a
52:10
songwriter you know what I mean and he's
52:12
a good one he doesn't know it yet you
52:14
know what I mean so let's let's pour
52:16
into that you know what I mean and you
52:18
know being around people like me and
52:20
Adonis and Jermaine and tank and The
52:23
Underdogs and like he's just you know
52:25
he's just that kid that's that grew up
52:27
he was already a a great talent but when
52:31
you're
52:32
around you know he's a sponge yeah yeah
52:34
he took in all that that experience yeah
52:37
you know what I'm saying and so you get
52:38
to a place now where you know I don't
52:40
even know I couldn't even I I don't even
52:42
know if I could keep up with him now as
52:44
far as like Studio like I don't even
52:46
know is he the fastest you dealt you you
52:48
worked with I mean I haven't worked with
52:49
him in many years so I I what I do know
52:52
about him though and what I know uh when
52:55
I talk to other producers when I talked
52:56
to him I mean I haven't talked to him in
52:57
a minute but um you know a few years
53:00
back when I spoke to him he's just on it
53:03
it's like pull up a track I got an idea
53:06
sing a Melody down next one yeah and
53:08
it's just like and it's and then it's a
53:10
and it's a Chris Brown record yeah you
53:11
know what I mean so I think that there's
53:13
just certain talents you know what I
53:14
mean you know and we we get Chris from
53:18
Usher we get Usher from Bobby Brown we
53:21
get you know what I mean Bobby from Mike
53:22
we get you know what I'm saying mik from
53:24
James yeah it's all proper lineage you
53:27
know what I mean um and you know I I I
53:31
think that you know you can't talk
53:34
about uh great things and great R&B
53:38
things especially in this generation
53:40
without mentioning uh Chris Brown y yo
53:44
Brian Michael Cox is up here man he got
53:47
an artist named Jack Freeman got a new
53:49
project out it's
53:50
called Nina Yes album is incredible um
53:54
apprciate it man he got the number one
53:55
record made for me by money long who
53:57
came up here and did that 21 Questions
53:59
freestyle did you see that hard hard
54:03
hard so crazy it was crazy we we were
54:05
having a uh we were the text thre
54:07
talking about like a remix idea and she
54:08
had mentioned 21 Questions yeah so we
54:11
were trying to T out turn around with
54:13
the idea this is before she came up here
54:15
uhhuh we T around with the idea and I
54:17
think that when she uh landed on it was
54:21
like was like committed to the idea I
54:22
think she had already written or started
54:24
to write whatever in her mind what that
54:26
remix would would sound like yeah and
54:30
when y'all put the beat on Yo out yo she
54:34
blacked out man money long but
54:36
congratulations on that success and
54:39
she's welld deserving she was great
54:41
artist you guys have um developed a
54:44
knack you Jermaine uh for really I you
54:47
know breaking artists that became a lost
54:50
art form people just relied on
54:52
statistics analytics and metrics to
54:54
decide if a artist had Talent worthy of
54:57
you know taking it further you guys you
55:00
find Talent you feel Talent you see
55:02
Talent it's so interesting because
55:04
that's literally all I mean think about
55:06
Jermaine in in in trajectory of his
55:09
career like the very first thing he did
55:12
was silk times leather that was his
55:14
group and the very next thing he did was
55:16
Chris Cross that was his group then he
55:18
went and got Escape like this is before
55:20
you know he wasn't like producing for
55:22
other people yeah he was like or trying
55:24
to produce the hottest you know uh
55:27
newest artist he was like I'm going to
55:29
find something that I think is dope and
55:32
I'm going to make it and I'm going to
55:35
we're going to make it we're going to
55:36
make we're going to make stars and I
55:38
realized I knew you know when me and him
55:40
really started getting cool um he told
55:43
me what his favorite movie was and I was
55:45
like I now I I get your whole thing who
55:49
you are as a person was it it's a movie
55:51
called the idle
55:52
maker right and anybody has ever seen
55:55
this movie called Idol
55:57
it's a movie it's got to be like from
55:58
the early ' 80s and it's about this guy
56:01
who just had a knack for finding talent
56:04
and and B blowing artists up and then
56:06
the the whole up and down of the music
56:08
business I don't even I never even heard
56:10
heard about this movie until he told me
56:12
about this movie you know what I mean I
56:15
don't make you know we're all about to
56:16
go watch you know that right okay and it
56:18
literally like he he watch this movie
56:21
over and over and over again it would
56:23
always be randomly on you know what I'm
56:24
saying like you know one I was just like
56:26
let me just watch this movie you know
56:28
what I mean and I was like oh man I
56:30
totally understand every single thing
56:33
about you the idol maker listen Brian
56:35
Michael coxy said we only got so much to
56:37
no no no it's not your fault it's our
56:39
fault man I I didn't realize we should
56:41
have had you come earlier all right but
56:43
you you did mention when you talk about
56:45
idle makers you got you mention a few
56:47
people track masters you know Hit Men
56:49
you know I'm sure Quincy Jones Quincy
56:51
Jones absolutely absolutely would you
56:53
consider Robert Glasper idol maker
56:55
Robert Glasper somebody who definitely
56:57
can has a eyha talent um who who puts
57:00
her on the platform you know what I mean
57:02
like you know you see Alex Eisley now
57:04
who you know I've loved and known for
57:06
many years you know what I mean before
57:07
she knew Robert I knew her and um now
57:11
seeing the platform she's doing you know
57:13
seeing people like sir who's already
57:15
have their thing going but also getting
57:17
accepted in in in that world artist like
57:19
balow who Rob's been with since the very
57:22
beginning I met bow when they were in
57:23
college that was the first person I met
57:24
when I came to New York to visit Robin
57:26
in college was balow bow was his his boy
57:29
shout out to uh deu
57:31
D rest in power okay yeah um so Rob does
57:37
have a knack for just you know finding
57:40
things and and like like even the DJ in
57:42
his in his band jahi Jah been up here he
57:45
spined up here jahi was with my cousin
57:47
Donnie Donnie scant and they had a thing
57:49
called state of emergency and in some
57:51
kind of way you know Rob saw that and
57:53
saw that jahi was valuable
57:56
and was able to pluck him and and you
57:58
know that's crazy put put him on a
58:00
platform and y'all went to high school
58:02
to get you say he was a wack rapper in
58:03
high school wack rapper in high school
58:04
incredible piano player since he was a
58:07
kid but wack rapper rapper but I mean
58:09
I'm G tell
58:10
you he was a a interesting freestyler
58:14
okay yo hold upani somebody's on the
58:17
line right now somebody on the line
58:18
right who we got on the line right now
58:20
we got Robert glass on the line what
58:22
first of all first of all you know what
58:24
it is
58:27
G let's just I want to put this out
58:30
there for the world to hear okay if you
58:32
want to talk about Idol makers let's
58:34
talk about how I made Chris Brown
58:43
okay
58:45
ear nobody heard nobody heard of Chris
58:49
Brown were not one before knew who he
58:52
was exactly when he said when said who
58:55
when he said who's Robert Glaser
58:57
everybody in the world was like uh who
58:58
are you exactly exactly and and that's
59:01
what happened that's what happened
59:03
that's what happened that that's how
59:04
Chris got famous because of that Rob
59:06
that's exactly how it got famous I never
59:08
heard his name till the Grammy just now
59:10
yeah exactly you know you know Rob Rob
59:13
got the dance moves and all that too
59:14
with him like got I saw and I gotta say
59:16
thank you while we're on the dance moves
59:18
I gotta say I checked out this little
59:19
guy Chris Brown and you know Dan is a
59:22
little overrated that's all you know
59:24
what Rob we put you that's all hey Rob
59:28
you know what I'm saying hey he don't
59:30
want this smoke want this smoke he don't
59:32
want this smoke you don't want
59:35
it you don't want you don't want these
59:38
parets you don't want
59:40
these all right Rob we got to we got to
59:42
wrap it up I thought this was going to
59:44
be a good idea I'm not sure what I was
59:45
thinking no this wasn't a good idea this
59:47
is beef time you you you see it Chris
59:50
you hear this Chris come on and you it's
59:52
beef time me and you beef time on the in
59:55
in the Box ofen but only dancing only
59:57
dancing only dancing dancing only
1:00:00
dancing off hey hey Rob Rob grown up
1:00:04
with B Cox man did you I'm sorry I got I
1:00:07
got okay calm down we trying to end the
1:00:09
show but growing up with B Cox man did
1:00:11
you it must be surreal for y'all two
1:00:13
having grown up together and you both in
1:00:15
these position we talk about all time
1:00:17
absolutely but but but Brian's always
1:00:20
always knew he was going to be this he
1:00:21
was going to be a a [ __ ] um [ __ ]
1:00:26
just legendary icon in this business cuz
1:00:29
even when when I would pick him up for
1:00:31
school I used to pick him up for school
1:00:32
every morning I was driving I was
1:00:34
driving first and our cck me first with
1:00:38
car absolutely first one with a car and
1:00:41
he would always bring music to play so
1:00:43
we would I we would be in the car he
1:00:44
would play me all the newest or old R&B
1:00:47
stuff but he would be reading the line
1:00:49
of notes and the tape you know what I
1:00:51
mean like I'm doing a little car he he
1:00:53
was just a like if he if he wasn't if he
1:00:55
was just sitting down somewhere nine
1:00:57
times out of 10 he was reading
1:00:58
somebody's lining notes true i' like
1:01:03
[ __ ] yeah he was focused he never came
1:01:05
out and play basketball I know why have
1:01:07
you seen him hoop trash seen no you're
1:01:10
right I'm trash I'm not gonna okay but
1:01:13
he was reading ler notes and and
1:01:15
actually producing on What's That
1:01:17
keyboard you had
1:01:19
Bri 500 a PSR 500 I will make beats on
1:01:22
this PSR 500 abely it's crazy and then
1:01:26
my thing is too Rob would tell me he
1:01:27
would show me about jazz so how I knew
1:01:29
about Oscar Peterson and chick K and he
1:01:33
would play me those things that's how I
1:01:35
became knowledgeable about jazz because
1:01:37
him and it's crazy you don't meet kids
1:01:39
that young you don't meet 14y old kids
1:01:41
who already have a passion yes like
1:01:44
being talented is one thing being
1:01:45
talented is one thing or having a hobby
1:01:48
is one thing but Brian had a passion for
1:01:51
this I knew this is what he was going to
1:01:53
be doing period hands down there was no
1:01:55
question give it up for Robert Glasper
1:01:57
man come on hey Rob real quick before
1:01:59
you go man it's official man I'm on
1:02:02
board right you want board that Nappa
1:02:05
yeah it's official I'm talk to tell we
1:02:08
all going be there I'm be
1:02:13
there me too Brian I'm in the
1:02:16
building yeah I'm there baby I'm bring
1:02:19
you some crab legs and some chicken
1:02:20
wings come on Heather let's go I got you
1:02:23
baby go that's what I'm talking about yo
1:02:25
listen a big event happening in Nappa
1:02:28
Rob
1:02:30
Glasper weekend tell them what we're
1:02:32
doing Rob it's going to be the black
1:02:35
radio experience in Napa some of y'all
1:02:36
came the last two years with Blue Note
1:02:39
in Napa so this year is GNA be Labor Day
1:02:41
weekend sway's gonna be your host VX is
1:02:44
gonna be spinning doing love Zone we got
1:02:46
a whole I'm not sure if I'm allowed to
1:02:49
all I don't think you allowed to say not
1:02:51
yet we I think we're I think we're going
1:02:53
public with it in like a few days
1:02:56
line be but it's going to be crazy y y'
1:02:58
got to come outb weppa look my yeah I'm
1:03:03
shout it out every day so it's going to
1:03:05
sell out so when you hear me selling
1:03:08
when you hear me shouting it out get
1:03:09
your tickets get your boarding all of
1:03:12
that get it early we going to have a
1:03:13
great time do M what what you want me to
1:03:15
do get these
1:03:17
WS my boarded in my room end my
1:03:22
flight you see how I did that Rob Rob I
1:03:25
love you man like I thank you thank you
1:03:27
for calling in brother all right just
1:03:29
wanted to have this moment love all
1:03:31
right Robert man give it up for Robert
1:03:33
glass I'm coming I'm on my way to the
1:03:35
airport I'm coming to New York okay cool
1:03:37
let's let's connect bring your bars all
1:03:40
right for sure all right man let's go
1:03:43
rob glasses Brian Michael Cox man I want
1:03:45
to say thank you man um you got to come
1:03:48
back yeah got toch surface yeah no I I I
1:03:54
I love this man I enjoy this man it
1:03:55
feels great to be here man thank you
1:03:57
very much man I really appreciate this
1:03:58
man you deserve to be recognized for all
1:04:00
that you do and your story is so
1:04:02
inspirational kids are listening right
1:04:04
now and seeing a different route another
1:04:06
route another way to make it to your
1:04:07
dreams man you've done it man and you
1:04:09
look good the entire time you look exact
1:04:12
same man I remember I you be up in M TV
1:04:14
interviewing all those kids you know and
1:04:16
I was like damn this dude looks the same
1:04:18
and your energy is always the same thank
1:04:20
you my brother tell my brother Jermaine
1:04:21
depri I love him I will it was crazy he
1:04:23
was just here yesterday they did the uh
1:04:25
the vocals for the remix to made for me
1:04:28
so we got Mariah on the remix Mariah's
1:04:30
on the
1:04:32
remix the hell going down what's up with
1:04:35
Mariah hey you know another album you
1:04:38
know you you in the studio I can tell
1:04:39
you're trying not to lie I can hear it
1:04:41
okay all right I can
1:04:43
tell another Mariah album coming come on
1:04:46
come on come
1:04:48
on okay come on Brian Michael Cox thank
1:04:51
you anything you want to say in closing
1:04:53
no just you know thank you guys for
1:04:55
having me up here man it's always
1:04:56
beautiful to be in New York City and and
1:04:58
be around incredible energy and uh for
1:05:01
those out there like I said man like he
1:05:02
said you you you you can you can chase
1:05:05
your dreams man there different mini
1:05:07
routes to get to to the Finish Line you
1:05:09
absolutely brother okay man and pick up
1:05:11
that new Jack Freeman album It's called
1:05:13
Nina this kid is his he's so Soulful man
1:05:16
I feel like eating macaroni and cheese
1:05:18
listen yeah yeah make sure you get that
1:05:20
that single undress we have a remix
1:05:22
coming too with him and jacket Edge for
1:05:24
the uh undress remix so got to bring
1:05:26
that kid up here man I'm going to bring
1:05:27
him up here next time y you should bring
1:05:28
a couple artists too all right people we
1:05:31
don't know all right I love it I like
1:05:32
that working with that ain't out I like
1:05:34
that idea we'll set up a room they could
1:05:36
do they could perform a song we could
1:05:38
sit and talk to them like Don Cornelius
1:05:40
I like that no I really do like like
1:05:42
like for real big up to my lvrn crew too
1:05:44
you know I know you guys lvrn records
1:05:46
I've a partnership with them and uh my
1:05:48
boy justice and Sean and Amber and
1:05:50
everybody up there illustrate new ideas
1:05:52
illustrate new ideas is my company and
1:05:54
that's uh you know Jack Freeman is on
1:05:56
there and you know we we we we doing
1:05:58
some things now okay you know what I'm
1:05:59
saying I love it man this is your
1:06:01
platform test it out here brother all
1:06:03
right okay Brian Michael Cox thank you
1:06:06
all right y'all can reach him at Brian
1:06:08
Michael Cox on all social media
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