This interview is part of “Pivotal,” a Q&A series where we highlight the defining moments that have shaped a star’s career — from breakthrough roles to game-changing milestones to epic moments that catapult them into the spotlight. Read our interview with Rodney Jerkins here.
Bryan-Michael Cox doesn’t really like to brag, but he’s more than earned the right to.
Regarded as one of the most prolific songwriters and producers in the R&B space, the certified hitmaker has worked with the best of them all throughout his career — Destiny’s Child, Mariah Carey, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Aaliyah, Justin Bieber, just to name a few. And with a decades-long run that includes over 100 million records sold and a slew of accolades, Cox has quietly, but undeniably, kept his thumb on the pulse of contemporary R&B continuously, one hit song at a time.
Some of the most notable classics Cox has credits on include Jagged Edge’s “Let’s Get Married,” Usher’s “Confessions” and Blige’s “Be Without You” — the latter of which earned him a Grammy in 2007 for Best R&B Song. He also played a key role in two staple releases that turn 20 this year: Chris Brown’s self-titled debut album and Carey’s “The Emancipation of Mimi.”
For as long as Cox has been tied to the music industry, he’s known this was the path he was meant to walk.
“It was always in my spirit, in my mind,” he says. “My aunties, they were all musicians. My uncles were all playing instruments. So naturally, that family camaraderie just passed down to the kids. And so I’ve always had the passion for music as far back as I can remember.”
That same passion continues to fuel him. At 47, Cox — who’s rightfully earned and adopted the nickname “The Marathon Man” — is still as locked in as ever, producing even more hit records for artists like Ari Lennox while expanding his footprint on the business side of music.
As the senior vice president of A&R at Love Renaissance (LVRN) — the influential Atlanta label behind top acts like Summer Walker and 6lack — Cox has spent the past few years nurturing the next generation of talent, playing a hands-on role in shaping their sound and pushing it out to the world. He’s also launched his own creative venture, Illustrate New Ideas, to further innovate the industry he’s known so intimately over the years, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
For this installment of “Pivotal,” Cox recalls the moments that have helped propel his music career (on more than one occasion), some of his most memorable studio stories and why 2005 was such a crucial time in his musical maturation.
In conversation with HuffPost, Bryan-Michael Cox reminisces on his quietly iconic career, writing and producing for some of the biggest names in music.
What would you say was the first pivotal point in your career?
So, I went to this school in Houston called the Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts. Obviously, there was a pivotal point before that with the church and things of that nature. But when I went to this high school, I was around a bunch of other like-minded kids. You know how they say iron sharpens iron? Being around cats like Robert Glasper, being a senior when Beyoncé and LeToya [Luckett] come into the school, and [seeing] graduates like Chris Dave, Jason Moran, Everett Harp, these cats who were legendary by the time I got there. Being a part of that cloth really put the battery in my back because it made it seem real. Like, “Oh, this can really happen.” It gave me the confidence early on to say, “Well, I’m a songwriter and a producer, and I’m going after it.”
I read somewhere that you made your first demo for Beyoncé.
My first meaningful one. I was making demos before that, but that was the one demo that made me say, “OK, not only is it possible, I’m going to [produce].” Because [Destiny’s Child] was so advanced back then. I don’t think people realize how advanced those girls were. They were already so professional. They understood the studio in a way that I hadn’t really learned yet. They had worked with Daryl Simmons and Dwayne Wiggins, and all these incredible, legendary people already. So, by the time I got in the studio with them, I was just taken aback.
What a great introduction to the music business. And then after you got your first real break into the industry, you started producing for Jagged Edge, which then led to you working with Jermaine Dupri. What did it mean to have the support of someone like him in those early stages of your career?
I thought it was great. It felt very organic. It didn’t feel forced. From the very beginning, it felt like we were kindred, like me and Jermaine had this energy that was natural, and I was really all ears. I was like a sponge. I was very literally ready to soak up whatever energy, whatever knowledge I could get. And me personally, when I meet somebody like that, even to this day, if there’s a legend I don’t know, when I meet them, I have a list of questions to ask already. So off the rip, I think he was impressed with the caliber of questions I was asking about the process [of producing]. He was very intrigued with that. And that’s what set us up to where we are today.
Twenty-something years later.
At this point, we’re brothers. He’s my best friend. I met Jermaine in 1998, and I was blown away by being thrust into that situation so fast. It felt like it happened quick when I look back on it. But as soon as we jumped in, we were ready to go.
Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox during the latter’s Casino Royale Birthday Party in Atlanta, circa 2006.
Rick Diamond via Getty Images
OK, now let’s jump to you two working on Usher’s “Confessions.” A lot of people have already heard all the stories about the making of the album, but what does it mean today to be a part of its long-standing legacy?
I mean, it’s fantastic. I think that ultimately, for us, it was just going from the last album to the next one. At the time, I don’t think we understood the significance of it. We were just making an album and coming off of “8701,” I felt pretty confident about our work. So going into “Confessions,” we were just like, “Let’s keep it going.” I don’t think that we knew we had something good, but I also don’t think we knew that it was going to be the perfect storm. I consider myself entirely blessed to be a part of that project because there aren’t a whole lot of projects that have gone diamond.
“Confessions” came out in 2004, which is also the same year you broke a record held by the Beatles on Billboard.
I’ve heard various versions of what the actual record is. Can you break it down?
So the record is, as a producer and songwriter, I was on the [Billboard Hot 100] chart the longest, nonstop for however many years I was. Anywhere on the chart, my name just never left. I think it was like four or five years.
Beating The Beatles is huge. Where do you rank that on your long list of achievements?
I mean, it’s up there. [laughs] I ain’t gonna lie, it’s a great stat to have, with The Beatles being so legendary. Definitely top 10.
2005 was another big year for you, between Mariah Carey’s “The Emancipation of Mimi,” Chris Brown’s debut album and Mary J. Blige’s hit “Be Without You.” Can you recall what that era was like for you?
It was a whirlwind. Probably one of the fastest years in my life, and the most money I ever made. It was just a lot happening. I got thrust into the Mary thing by my manager, Chris [Hicks], and I always wanted to work with her. She was one of my goals as a young producer. I tried to work with Mary a couple of years before I did “Be Without You.” Me and [singer] Lil’ Mo did a song called “Superwoman” — not the version you guys heard. We did this record for Mary, and apparently, she loved the song, but never got around to cutting it.
So, I really had been trying to get on Mary’s album [for some time]. So when I got the call from Jimmy Iovine, I was like, “Yo, I gotta make this happen.” So, we really put our hands together. And I made that track in a very, very short period of time because I felt like I needed to prove something to my spirit. I was in a proving point at that point when it came to the business. I felt like I’m doing all this work, but I’m not getting the proper notoriety. So I was trying to make the biggest song I could make.
That’s interesting to hear that even after working on “Confessions,” you still felt you had to prove yourself.
“Confessions” felt like a financial win for me. And as a writer, getting credit, it was a win. But it was really a [Jermaine Dupri] win. JD was the leading producer on that, and I felt like everybody knew who Bryan-Michael Cox was, but I didn’t feel the win the way they felt it. Everybody was doing magazine articles and press, but I wasn’t. I was just somewhere else making beats.
That’s another thing, too. A lot of executives, especially back then, looked at visibility, and I wasn’t really that visible. Even the records I made on my own, I still was just in the studio very silently moving the needle. So the Mary [record] was a really proper moment for me because we made the song, it comes out fantastic, Interscope puts the building behind it, it goes crazy, and every interview Mary did during that period, she thanked me and Johntá [Austin]. That actually is what put my name on people’s lips. When you have an artist of that caliber really speak your name… when Mary spoke my name on Entertainment Tonight, the Grammys stage, all these different platforms, I saw a complete shift in the business. I was already in demand to a degree, but the demand just went through the roof when she did that. And I understood the value of having an artist actually speak your name.
It opened so many doors…
It opened mad doors. Crazy doors.
Bryan-Michael Cox at the 49th annual Grammy Awards in 2007, the same year Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You,” co-written and co-produced by Cox, won Best R&B Song.
Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images
That’s incredible. You finally get this chance to work with Mary. What do you soak up during those studio sessions with her?
What I learned from Mary was that she’s very specific about what she wants. Most artists like her are like that — Mariah, Usher. Mary is also going to try to finish the record that day. She’s not running back and forth to the studio. She doesn’t want to come back and touch it up. She wants you to get that performance, and she’s going to do what she can to get that performance. She comes in, and she wants to get it done right away, and get the hell on.
It has to be inspiring to work with people who know exactly what they want to do and have a vision already. That just feels so encouraging, creatively.
Yep. I was just so stoked to be working with her because she was on my wish list as a youngin’ coming up before I moved to Atlanta. I would make a list of people I wanted to work with, and she was at the top. [So were] Usher and Monica. So, for me to be able to work with all these artists, people I wanted to work with when I was just dreaming about [making music], is beyond amazing to me.
Speaking of incredible artists, I want to talk about those “Emancipation of Mimi” sessions with Mariah Carey. You’ve spoken in other interviews about how that album came together. What stories have you not shared?
Honestly, I think I’ve shared everything. I’m gonna keep it a buck, that era was, again, the fastest year of my life. It was such a blur. Obviously, Jermaine had been working with Mariah for a long time at that point. This was maybe my third round with her because we did “Rainbow” and “Charmbracelet” together, and this was Johntá’s first round with us. I just remember Mariah being festive. She had just bought a vineyard. She saw that there was a wine named after her, so she bought the vineyard. And then she would have them send wine down to the studio. That’s how we knew she was coming, because a box of wine would show up. And we would have a little sip, we would talk, have jokes and just have a good time. We had a good time making “Emancipation.” I just remember it being really fun.
While we’re on Mariah, I have to ask about her being snubbed for a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction this year because I saw you post on X about it. Why do you think she still hasn’t been inducted?
At this point, I just think it’s sacrilege. This woman, everything that she’s accomplished, she’s in the same conversation as Michael, Whitney, Prince, and yet the hesitation to present her flowers, to me, I don’t understand. She’s a beautiful person. She’s sweet, inside and out. People always talk about how she’s a diva, but she’s really one of the kindest people I’ve ever met in my life. And she’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever seen in my life. Watching her in action, writing, singing, producing, she hears it. She knows exactly what to tell you, what she hears. She’s one of those people who’s just one of our classiest acts. But the Songwriters Hall of Fame did it the same way. I mean, she finally got in, but for somebody who’s written all the songs. And she’s written for other people, too, hits. It took that Hall of Fame a long time to get her in. So I feel like this year was just like, come on. If she’s on a ballot every year for the past what?
She’s been eligible since 2016 and nominated twice.
It’s like, yo, this is ridiculous. I’m seeing other people get in, and I’m like, what’s that? What is that?
In general, do you think she gets all the credit she deserves as an icon?
No, I don’t think she does. I don’t know why she gets overlooked on a lot of things. Obviously, some things she gets. But I’m hoping that this upcoming year, this next Rock and Roll class, she’ll get in. She deserves it. She’s more than deserving.
Back to that 2005 era: Another artist you worked with was Chris Brown. What do you remember about those studio sessions with 15-year-old him?
I remember him being like a man-child. I was like, “Who’s this tall, lanky kid?” He was just a burst of energy. Always dancing, always moving, and just had a bright smile. He was marketable. As soon as he walked in the door, I was like, “If this kid sounds like he looks, he’s out of here.” We played some of his songs, and I was like, “Oh, we got this. I can nail this.” We were just super impressed with him — me, Adonis [Shropshire], and Kendrick [Dean]. We were just like, “This kid has a beautiful spirit.” He had a great temperament about working. He reminded me a lot of Bow Wow, because I worked with Bow Wow when he was 11, and he had that same energy. He came to the studio professional but energy off the wall, ready to do a song, ready to finish, pull up the next one. That kind of energy where you could do two, three songs with this kid in a day. That was Chris’ energy. It just felt like he was here before, and it felt like he was ready to be a star. He just had it.
We had such a beautiful bond back then. He learned a lot from us, and we learned a lot from him, too. But he was so interested in songwriting early on. The way that Adonis, his style of writing, my style, and Kendrick’s, I think he took a liking to that. He really, really was under us learning how to write, and you could tell that everywhere he went, he was just like a sponge; just under everybody. That’s why today, when I see his level of writing, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s that great of a songwriter, because he always wanted to be that.
You’ve worked with so many other artists over the years. Who have you not hit the studio with yet that you would like to?
I’ve worked with pretty much everybody, God bless, in one capacity or another. But I’d like to make a record for Jay-Z. I’ve never made a record for him. I would’ve loved to make a record for Celine Dion if she were still recording. I’m really into the newer artists, too, like Kehlani, Summer Walker and SZA. I’m really paying attention to what’s happening out here now. I like a lot of the new artists, and I feel like I can bring something to the table to help them evolve, and they can help me continue to understand what’s happening out here on a young level.
Yeah, there’s a lot of good talent out here, so I look forward to that.
A lot, a lot, a lot. So I’m hoping to do work with them all. I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of legends, I’m talking about from The Isley Brothers on down to the late great Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston. That checklist that I had when I was a kid, I’ve been able to check some things off, so I’d like to really get with these younger artists and connect with them.
On a similar note, what’s the key to having that kind of longevity in your career where you can work with all these legacy acts and still produce today?
I think that you stick and stay, right? You keep working, even when the drought happens, you just keep pushing, and you try to find ways to reinvent yourself. For me, through social media, I was able to reinvent myself when it was a drought from a DJ and a personality perspective. [I could] use the fact that I was on these platforms, all these music-based things, and really capitalize on that visibility, doing my beat-making videos in a time where it was kind of slow for me. I wish I could tell you there was a proper recipe for how I got here. A lot of my peers, even the ones that are still here, aren’t making the records that we’re making. So I think that says a lot to how covered we are, how blessed we are.
In the past few years, you’ve launched your own company, become an executive at one of the top record labels in the game and have continued to produce hit songs. That said, what does your next pivotal chapter look like?
I’m really pouring into my company, Illustrated New Ideas, the next five years in a real way. I have an artist named Jack Freeman, who has a single called “MVP” out right now. [Today] we’re at No. 28 on the Adult R&B Airplay [chart], which I think is monumental. It’s the first time I’ve ever been on a chart as a label, so I’m excited about that. I just did a joint venture publishing company with BMG, and I just signed two new songwriters who are phenomenal: Sierra Flowers and Bryce Green. Obviously, me and Jermaine are still working on a bunch of things, but I’m just excited to still be working and still be in the game, and taking it as it comes.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
