the chal banz blog

No producer is more in demand than Pharrell Williams. He has been churning out the hits since 1996(if I'm not mistaken). His early output included work with now legendary R&B girl groups SWV(song: Use Your Heart ) and Total(song: When Boy Meets Girl ). Now fast forward to 17 years and Pharrell Williams is still going strong! You can currently hear Pharrell on Robin Thicke's #1 hit single Blurred Lines as well as Daft Punk's top 10 hit Get Lucky . If you think that's all Pharrell has up his sleeve then you have another thing coming. You can check out some of his upcoming collaborations below. If that's not enough I will even take a trip down memory lane highlighting a slew of songs Pharrell had a hand in producing. Happy - Pharrell Williams Pharrell can be heard on the lead single to the Despicable Me 2 movie. The song itself leaked out awhile back but the movie itself I'm not too sure about. I believe it will be in theaters in the coming weeks. Reach Out ...

Antwan "Amadeus" Thompson is a famed Hip Hop/R&B producer who hails from the Bronx. He is a member of Bad Boy's The Hitmen and his own production company Platinum Boy Music. His frist big break came through his production on the soundtrack to "Cradle 2 The Grave" which starred DMX. Below you can check out his extensive discography over the years: Get Off Me, Cradle 2 The Grave - Foxy Brown I'm Raw, What Should I Do -Fabolous Whether You Like It Or Not, T.I. Anything You Can Do, Bow Wow Excited, Marques Houston Waiting, In & Out Of Love - Cheri Dennis Sumtimes I Part 1 and Part 2, Brand Nu- Lil' Mo You Can't Murder Me, Papoose It Is What It Is, 50 Cent My Diary, Jim Jones Shoot To Kill, Hell Rell The Pain, Donnie Klang Welcome To The Dollhouse Intro, Danity Kane ---------------- Now playing: Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement via FoxyTunes

Robert "Big Bert" Smith may be be best known as Brandy's baby daddy to her one and only child; Sy'rai Iman Smith. He is also an accomplished producer who has not only made hits for Brandy but a bevy of artists. He is also the cousin of Rodney Jerkins. Interestingly enough some of his productions were songs that Brandy had written for other artists. At one point Robert and Brandy were becoming, dare I say it; a modern day Ashford & Simpson. Check out some of his productions below: Die Without You, Wow, When You Touch Me - Brandy It's Wrong, I'm Okay - Dave Hollister Ryde Or Die, Jennifer Lopez Imagination, Jessica Simpson Love/Hate, Kelly Rowland Curtain Call, Nina Sky Confused, Should I - Kiley Dean Never Too Far, Olivia Crazy, Ray J Get Down With Me, Spice Girls Take Me Away, Tarralyn Ramsey Always, Selfish - Toni Braxton ---------------- Now playing: Cherokee - I Swear via FoxyTunes

Bei Major is a producer who works closely with Ne-Yo and the Compound Entertainment group. The producer released a series of mixtapes and has worked with many of the big names in music today. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and he currently resides in Atlanta. Check out just some of the productions and songwriting he has done over the years: Hold U Down, Bun B Ur Behind, Long Gone Missin', Black Roses - Trey Songz Hate It Or Love It, Chingy Not Anymore, LeToya On My Own, Chrisette Michele Show Me The Way, Ginuwine Stay Or Go, Monica Ride(Remix), Ciara Blowing Me Kisses, Speakers Going Hammer - Soulja Boy Buyou, Hustler, Gimme What I Want - Keri Hilson Rooftops, Wiz Khalifa She Got It Made, Plies

Once again I was cruising some liner notes of some albums that I own and I came across Troy Oliver. I see he produced a significant amount of important music from a certain period. You will see a few of those songs below as I'm only able to find so many songs on certain producers. A little about Troy; he is a native of New Haven, Connecticut. He is a self taught musician who specializes in playing nearly every instrument known to man. His work with another producer; Cory Rooney led to his production placement most notably on albums by Jennifer Lopez before expanding over into other realms. Check out his discography below: I'm Glad, Again, I'm Gonna Be Alright - Jennifer Lopez Differences, I'm In Love - Ginuwine Get Ready, Snoop Dogg Right Back Where I Stand, Faith Evans Risk It All, Blu Cantrell Sure Thing, Ruff Endz What's It Gonna Be, Jessica Simpson Give Him A Chance, Pam & Dodi I Tried, 4Kast Do Your Thing, 7 Mile

I was looking through some liner notes of some albums and I came across producer Teddy Bishop. Finally; a producer who I hadn't spotlighted yet because I was seriously running out of ideas. Never fear though! Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia; Teddy got his start as an upstart to LaFace Records working under Teddy Riley. During his tenure at LaFace he produced for Toni Braxton most notably and over the years his productions has topped the charts or simply earned him placement on a variety of platinum and gold albums from R&B's elite. Check out his discography below: Torn, LeToya DUI(On The Freeway), Sterling Sims Just Be A Man About It, Love Affair - Toni Braxton Let's Ride, I Can Do That - Montell Jordan Miss You, Aaliyah This Way, Lloyd Betcha She, 702 Just One Of Those Days, My Love - Whitney Houston Love You, Jagged Edge All Nite, All Day, Ginuwine

Malik Pendleton is a R&B producer who you may or may of not heard of. He is a New Jersey native who has worked with some well known names as you will see below. This is just a fraction of production work he has done over the years; the most recent being with Faith Evans. Check it out! Angel, Norman Brown Bitch, Out Of Sight - Changing Faces Get Down, Voices Of Theory Seven Days, Christmas In The City - Mary J. Blige Word Is Bond, Finding My Way 702 Beauty and A Thug, Jaheim Every Day Is A New Day, Got To Be Free, Not Over You Yet - Diana Ross Grateful, Wyclef Jean How Can I, 4Kast Real Things, Faith Evans The Leather, The Oblivians ---------------- Now playing: Usher - Love In This Club, Pt. II via FoxyTunes

Mr. Collipark is a Southern producer who hails from College Park, Georgia in which his name derives from. He is known primarily for his production work for the Ying Yang Twins as he's produced many if not all of their hits. His hits doesn't just stop there though as he's produced for many of R&B/Hip Hop's biggest names over the years. Check out his extensive discography below: Warm Bed, Jamie Foxx Never Be Nothing Like Me, Terror Squad U A Freak(Nasty Girl), Chingy Let Me Watch, Mario Promise Ring, Tiffany Evans Manager, Yung Berg Play, David Banner Wait(The Whisper Song), Bedroom Boom - Ying Yang Twins Shake, Pitbull Ms. New Booty, Bubba Sparxxx Trapstar, Young Jeezy Hit The Floor, Twista It's Good, YoungBloodz Git It, Get Throwed - Bun B

J.R. Rotem is a R&B/Hip Hop producer who hails from Toronto. His first shot to fame came through a song he produced for Destiny's Child. He is responsible for signing Sean Kingston and he has had many hits as a producer. Check out his discography below: S.O.S., Rihanna Whoa, Lil' Kim Fancy, Destiny's Child Push It, Rick Ross I Want You, Paris Hilton Beautiful Girls, Me Love - Sean Kingston That's Gangsta, Bun B Everybody, Britney Spears Living In The Projects, Lil' Scrappy Bust It Baby Part 2, Want It, Need It, Becky - Plies feat. Ne-Yo Roll, Flo Rida The High Road, JoJo Ridin' Solo, Jason DeRulo Fly, Nicki Minaj feat. Rihanna ---------------- Now playing: Rihanna - SOS via FoxyTunes

It's been awhile since I did a Producer Spotlight feature and you might of got the impression I ran out of producers to feature; not exactly true. I just have to sit and think about who I haven't featured yet. So I just happen to pop open an issue of Billboard magazine and I read a story on Keyshia Cole and her new single, "Take Me Away" which was produced by today's Producer Spotlight; Chink Santana. The famed producer was born Andre Parker and hails from Washington D.C. He was apart of a rap group which caught the attention of Irv Gotti before he brought he to work for The Inc. Together the two would collaborate on a number of high profile albums and singles most notably from artists under The Inc. moniker. Check out some of his discography below: Happy, Baby, Rock With U, Rain On Me - Ashanti Me & My Boyfriend, Toni Braxton Feelin' You, Hustler, Lloyd Situations, Take Me Away - Keyshia Cole Judgment Day, Put Your Gun Away - Ms. Dynamite Thug Lovin',...

Composed of Jeremy Reeves, Johnathan Yip, and Ray Romulus; The Stereotypes is a production trio out of Sacramento, California. Collectively the trio has produced a wide range of R&B/Hip-Hop and Pop songs. Check out their extensive discography below: Like A G6, Far East Movement Star Cry, Foxy Brown Damaged, Danity Kane Somebody To Love, Justin Beiber Good Love, Mary J. Blige feat. T.I. Why Does She Stay, Ne-Yo Wonderful, Marques Houston New Man, Joe Beautiful People, Nina Sky Johnny, Melanie Fiona Even Angels, Fantasia Celebration, Tank feat. Drake ---------------- Now playing: Foxy Brown - Too Real (ft. AZ) via FoxyTunes

Carvin & Ivan is a production duo that hails from Philly and is responsible for continuing the Philly Soul sound. The production duo is responsible solely for bringing Musiq out and being a main contribution to his sound. Along the years their repertoire has grown and they have worked with additional artists. Check out their discography below: Girl Next Door, Love, Just Friends - Musiq Gone Already, Again - Faith Evans Finding My Way Back, Jaheim The Flowers, Ameriie Champion, Ace Hood Playa Cardz Right, Keyshia Cole Customer, Raheem DeVaughn This Can't Be Real, Freeway Losing You, Heather Headley She, Brian McKnight So Glad, Chris Brown Like Me Real Hard, Mario Family Reunion, Jill Scott Ride With U, Joe Headache, Floetry Worthy Of, Justin Timberlake ---------------- Now playing: Foxy Brown - I Can't via FoxyTunes

Bink! is a producer primarily known for his work with Roc-A-Fella Records. He hails from Norfolk, Virginia. The majority of his productions are for Hip-Hop artists but he has dabbled in R&B as well. Check out some of his discography below: Homeboy, JoJo Can't Go For That, Tamia Can We Go, Amerie Damn I Miss The Game, Cassidy Still Got Love, Freeway We Shinin', Rick Ross Devil In A New Dress, Kanye West Living Better Now, Jamie Foxx Never Gonna Change, Dave Hollister The One, Memphis Bleek Ryde Away, Eve I Got Love, Nate Dogg The Ruler's Back, Jay-Z ---------------- Now playing: Trey Songz - More Than That via FoxyTunes

Rico Love is a hit making producer whose produced a string of hits over the years. The producer was born in Milwaukee and briefly lived in Tallahassee, Atlanta, and New Orleans. He started out as a rapper before joining Usher on tour to eventually writing for him among others. Check out some of the extensive discography from one of the more underrated producers in the game: Throwback, Usher All Because Of You, Usher Energy, Keri Hilson Year Of The Lover, Lloyd Hello Heartbreak, Michelle Williams Sweet Dreams, Beyonce Boyfriend #2, Pleasure P Hunt 4 U, Teairra Mari feat. Pleasure P Hey Daddy(Daddy's Home), There Goes My Baby, Usher Automatic, Teairra Mari feat. Nicki Minaj Hello Good Morning, Diddy-Dirty Money Just A Dream, Nelly Commander, Kelly Rowland

Ester Dean is not primarily known for her production work but moreover her songwriting work. In the past year or so Ester Dean has put her pen to many hit singles that have dominated radio. Ester was even responsible for penning her own hit; "Drop It Low" featuring Chris Brown. Born in Oklahoma; Ester Dean eventually moved to Atlanta before landing in L.A. It was then and there she hooked up with producer Polow Da Don for his Zone 4 productions. His latest productions are all done with the assistance of Ester Dean. Check your album linear notes people; for those of us who still do buy albums. Check out Ms. Ester Dean's discography below: Lay It Down, Lloyd Google Me, Teyana Taylor Already Taken, Trey Songz Make Me Over, Keyshia Cole Never Ever, Turn It Up - Ciara Make Love, Change Me, Toy Soldier - Keri Hilson The One, Stronger, I Am - Mary J. Blige Here I Am, Monica Rude Boy, What's My Name - Rihanna Back To The Crib, Juelz Santana Hot Tottie, Usher Shakin' It Fo...

I consider Raphael Saadiq to be one of the more underrated producers in the game. He has been in the business for many years starting from his beginnings from the group; Tony! Toni! Tone! Collectively that group has had many hits including "Anniversary", "Lay Your Head On My Pillow", and "Little Walter". Eventually he would change his surname to Saadiq and began his successful production career. That also led to him jump starting the group, Lucy Pearl which featured En Vogue singer Dawn Robinson. Along the way Raphael has produced for many urban artists from Kelis to Teedra Moses to Joss Stone to Mary J. Blige. You will learn of some of the songs he's produced below. Raphael was born in Oakland, California. At one time he dated singer Joss Stone and produced some cuts for several of her albums. I bet she didn't pay for those tracks! Check out Raphael's extensive discography below: 2 Way, Ginuwine Ain't Nobdy Worryin', Anthony Hamilton A...

James Poyser is a Grammy award winning producer who hails from Philadelphia. He has worked with virtually every urban act known to man. Check out his extensive discography below: Everybody, I Tried - Anthony Hamilton Love Of My Life, Window Seat - Erykah Badu Ferris Wheel, I Am Music - Common Bring 2, Sometimes - Bilal Chicken Grease, The Notic - D'Angelo Why, Love Of Our Own - Eric Benet Can't Even Begin To Explain, Talk To Me - Jill Scott Superstar, Lauryn Hill When Christmas Comes, Mine Again, I Wish You Well - Mariah Carey Real Love, My Girl - Musiq Our Story, Ruben Studdard Don't See Us, Double Trouble - The Roots ---------------- Now playing: Kelly Price - National Anthem (Interlude Fea via FoxyTunes

The Underdogs is comprised of Harvey Mason Jr. and Damon Thomas. Damon Thomas formerly worked with Babyface before joining Harvey Mason Jr. Collectively the duo has produced a bevy of hits and album cuts over the years. Check out their extensive discography below: I Like Them Girls, Tyrese Never Gonna Break My Faith, Aretha Franklin/Mary J. Blige 4 Minutes, Avant Gots To Be, B2K List, Brandy Take You Down, Chris Brown Ain't Gon Beg You, Fantasia No Air, Jordin Sparks Still On My Brain, Justin Timberlake Cops Up, Lyfe Jennings Naked, Marques Houston Sorry 2004, Ruben Studdard I'm Tryna, Omarion You Got The Damn Thing, Olivia Please Don't Go, Tank ---------------- Now playing: Dionne Warwick - I'll Never Love This Way Again via FoxyTunes

There's Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Andre & Vidal, and then there's Tim & Bob. I would say out of the three, Tim & Bob are the most underrated. The production duo has produced many a hits over the years. I learned quite a bit of info on the duo and its definitely too much to list. Summing it up though they are Grammy winners who have produced on some of R&B's biggest albums. They have rubbed shoulders with everyone from Papa Roach to Dallas Austin to Athena Cage to Pebbles. Check out some of their productions below: They Don't Know, Jon B. So Into You, Tamia Take Care Of Home, Dave Hollister Thong Song, Sisqo Slow Down, Tell Me - Bobby V. Used To Be My Girl, Brian McKnight I, Love, Jennifer Lopez I'm Gonna Be, Donell Jones Life Is Good, Jamie Foxx Think Of Me, Day 26 Missing You, Case ---------------- Now playing: Sam Sparro - Can't Stop This via FoxyTunes

Like many producers featured here, Eric Hudson has a had a hand in producing various cuts over the years. Eric Hudson was born in 1986 and hails from New Jersey and is a Grammy award winning producer. Can't get any better than that right? Check out his discography below! Entourage, Omarion Flashing Lights, Kanye West Can We Chill, Ne-Yo P.D.A., John Legend Talk To Me, Mary J. Blige Take You Home, Year Of The Lover - Lloyd Fly Together, Does He Do It, Made To Be Together - Trey Songz Dig This, Brandy By My Side, Jadakiss Worth It, Whitney Houston Can't Get Enough, Brutha Heard Em All, Ameriie Stranded, Mario ---------------- Now playing: Rah Digga - Back It Up via FoxyTunes