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 Lynn Whitfield here.
Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins knows the life of a music producer is a short-lived one, career-wise, that is.
He wasn’t always sure he’d rack up a decade’s worth of hitmaking credits, let alone three. But the 48-year-old musical savant and prolific songwriter has more than earned his staying power in the industry by crafting era-defining tracks for only the most legendary names in music: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Brandy — and that’s just scratching the surface.
Jerkins has also made his mark on today’s music scene, working with top contemporary artists like Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Sam Smith, H.E.R. and SZA. The list goes on and on. And so do the superproducer’s accomplishments.
With 19 Grammy nominations (and two wins), numerous Billboard Hot 100 hits, his Christian hip-hop label Alienz Alive, and more under his belt, Jerkins has contributed to some of the most influential music catalogs of our time. It’s only fitting, then, that the trailblazer added another milestone to his already impressive list of achievements this year: an induction into the esteemed Songwriters Hall of Fame — and just in time to celebrate his 30th anniversary in music.
In conversation with HuffPost, Jerkins recalls some of the most notable collaborations from his 30-year producing career.
“When you’re a young kid from New Jersey, trying to make it somehow, some way, you’re not really thinking or dreaming about the Songwriters Hall of Fame. That’s not what’s on your mind,” Jerkins reflected on the honor. “Your mind is really on just being creative and hope, hope, hoping that the world gets a chance to experience your creativity and your art.”
Thankfully, in Jerkins’ case, we did.
It’s hard to imagine what the music soundscape would be like without the signature Darkchild touch on Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name,” Michael Jackson’s “You Rock My World,” or even Brandy’s “Full Moon” album, which helped birth a whole new generation of inspired R&B acts.
Jerkins’ body of work is nothing short of iconic. And decades later, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
“I’m super blessed to still be doing what I love to do,” he said. “So I’m just going to take it gracefully and look forward to waking up the next day and still being creative and not really thinking about it too much after it’s over. A lot of times, when you achieve something great in life, you’ve got to be thinking about what’s next.”
For this installment of “Pivotal,” Jerkins looked back on his remarkable career in music, the iconic collaborators he’s worked with and the timeless songs that have come to define his legacy.
Jerkins speaks onstage during the 2025 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Marriott Marquis Times Square on June 12, 2025, in New York City.
Theo Wargo via Getty Images
If you had to pinpoint a single moment early in your career that set everything in motion, what would it be: producing Mary J. Blige’s “I Can Love You” or Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine”?
Even before all of that [happened], I think your work has to be discovered by someone in order to even be taken seriously. Doing the song “The Things That You Do” with my hometown artist, Gina Thompson; Mary discovered that song, and then had her A&R reach out to me. So it’s the little wins before the big wins. You don’t get to the playoffs unless you have a good season. So I had a lot of little wins that were starting to add up, and no one knows about those because they weren’t the hits. But those little wins got discovered by some really important people, and then that becomes “I Can Love You.” And then [that song] gets discovered by a guy by the name of Paris Davis, who was Brandy’s A&R, and that led to “The Boy Is Mine” [and so forth].
So, the Mary J. Blige moment, to me, was the moment before the moment. That allowed me to work with the artists who were, of course, super known, and it created a buzz. But “The Boy Is Mine” was the one that knocked it out of the park. When it did what it did, and was No. 1 for so long, that’s when the eyeballs of a lot of people started to come.
I love hearing about those moments that are the catalyst for everything else that follows. What did you learn working with a major artist like Mary J. Blige that early in your career?
It taught me a lot just being in a studio with her, especially in the early stages of my career. And I’m still working with her. We were just going back and forth a couple of days ago on the phone on some new ideas. But what I learned in those Mary sessions was how to really convey emotion into a song. Because she was so passionate about whatever it was that she was singing. I remember we had a moment where we were doing a song called “Searching,” and she broke out and was crying while she was singing. That was the first time I ever experienced anything like that. I was just like, man, when lyrics really mean something to someone, that makes the person who’s buying and listening feel it that way, too. Most [producers] would be like, let’s do another take of that since you sound choked up. But it’s like, nah, we’re keeping that. Let’s roll with that, because that’s the real raw emotion that we need for the song.
That’s so dope. So, after Mary came Whitney Houston. What’s your fondest memory of working with her?
Honestly, it probably wasn’t even working with her. That process was cool, experiencing her singing in the booth. She was my favorite. She was one of my goals to work with. But it was our personal relationship [that meant more]. It was the spiritual side that I had to witness in her. And I’m sure a lot of people have heard stories about her like that, but I actually witnessed it. She would call me up and be like, “Hey, I want to go to church with you.” We weren’t even working together when she came to my church. Like three months before she passed away, she called me and was like, “I need you to pray for me. I’m coming to see you. Where you at? Where you at?” I’m like, I’m in LA, and she goes, “I’m in Newport Beach, I’m coming down.” And literally drove down that night.
So, it was a different type of spiritual connection [we had] that was outside of the music. Of course, I wish she were around to experience how her music has touched so many people, and continues to. What she meant as a voice, we hadn’t heard a voice like that. Yeah, we had Aretha [Franklin] and other people, but when Whitney came on, it was something different. It gave you them goosebumps, for real.
Jerkins and Britney Spears worked together on songs from the latter’s third studio album, “Britney,” and the deluxe version of her “Femme Fatale” album.
STAN HONDA via Getty Images
Another artist you worked with early in your career is Britney Spears. How did you two get connected?
I worked with Britney here in Orlando, actually. I got connected through, again, executive stuff. When I did “Don’t Wanna Be a Player” for Joe, he was on Jive Records, and he was a labelmate of Britney. Clive Calder, who was the CEO of Jive then, for some reason called me one day and was like, “I would love for you to do some stuff with Britney.” And I was like, “Yeah, let’s do it.” People know me as the guy who pretty much didn’t turn down anything. I always felt like I had something in me for everybody, so it didn’t really matter that [it was Britney]. So, I hopped on a plane and came down, and worked on “Britney” [her third studio album].
What were those recording sessions like with her?
They were good. It’s interesting when you work with someone like Whitney and then Britney. Again, as a producer, you have to find the things that an artist is great at doing. You have to be able to decide what’s the unique part of this person’s voice. For me, with Britney, it was always her phrasing, like making her overpronounce words was part of her style. It’s the overpronunciation that makes it cool. So I had to learn that by studying and listening to her and being like, OK, let me find unique things that I can pull out. But we had so much fun [working together]. I remember playing ping-pong with her, pool, and helping her write her first rap. We just always had fun. She was always real lively, but she was very much like, “You have this time slot with me, so you better have [the music] finished by this time.” Seriously, she played no games.
Now, I have to ask about “The Boy Is Mine.” That song changed everything for you. Where did the duet concept come from?
So when we first did the song, it was just Brandy’s because I was working on her album. And then Paris Davis was the one who was like, “Man, it would be crazy [if we added Monica to the song].” He used to have a relationship with Dallas Austin, so it was a natural thing with Monica. But, back then, everybody in the industry had this inside thing that Brandy and Monica didn’t like each other.
Oh, even before the song came out, that narrative was happening?
Yeah, and he fed into it. Paris thought, if we got [Monica] on it, and people are already saying they don’t like each other, it’ll make the record that much bigger. And, I was like, heck yeah, let’s get it. And it was perfect because every element of that song — from the beat against the strings and the harps to them talking in the intro to them going back and forth over this guy — to me, was like the perfect scenario.
And it’s a song that people still love to this day. Ariana Grande put out her own inspired rendition with Brandy and Monica on a remix last year. Did you hear the song? Did you think the reunion was dope, knowing that your original song was sort of the catalyst for it?
I mean, when I heard it, I didn’t hear any part of our song. I felt like it was just a new song called “The Boy Is Mine,” and out of respect, they brought them on. But what they should have done was call me up and say, let’s get all three of them together and make a new song. But it’s cool. Max Martin [Grande’s producer] has told me that he’s always used things of mine throughout the years. He had no shame in that. And I appreciate that because he’s such a great producer. I don’t take it lightly when someone says they like to borrow things from you. I think it’s a great thing to sample and be inspired by certain things that we’ve done, so I’m just happy that what [the original “The Boy Is Mine”] did was create new life for Monica and Brandy to be able to do things together again.
Brandy and Rodney Jerkins at BMI’s Pre-Grammy Celebration Dinner at Boa on Feb. 6, 2006, in Los Angeles.
Ray Tamarra via Getty Images
Absolutely. Speaking of Brandy, you first worked with her on her second album, “Never Say Never,” which was around the time she was also on “Moesha.” What was it like working with her back then when she was already a bona fide TV star and a platinum-selling artist?
Oh, it was amazing. [Our collaborative relationship] popped off really fast. We were at some restaurant in Los Angeles at a meeting, and then we went to another restaurant, and the next day we were in the studio. Everything was just quick. We’ve probably done over 30 songs together now, and we’ve had amazing success in our careers. I’m just happy that I’m a part of making some of the most special songs [in her catalog], whether it’s “The Boy Is Mine,” “Top of the World,” the “Full Moon album.” These are songs that have penetrated people’s minds for years. So it’s good to be part of people’s history. We’ve had a chance to create some greatness.
Yes, “Full Moon” was definitely a big part of that. Another classic album you worked on was Michael Jackson’s “Invincible.” How did you two even meet?
Teddy Riley [my mentor] introduced me to Michael when I was, like, 16. I told him I was gonna work with him someday. He kind of giggled at me, but I was serious. He probably thought, “Who’s this kid, Teddy?” But Teddy was bigging me up. I didn’t get to play any music for him then. But fast forward to when I was 21, Carole Bayer Sager, an amazing songwriter, called me up and said, “Would you like to come to LA to work with me and Michael Jackson?” I was like, “Huh? When?!” She’s like, “I don’t know. Probably sometime within the next week or so.” I said, ell, I’m coming to LA now. I got my flight booked that day, and I was out. I went to LA, and just stayed in the hotel until she called me. And then I went over to her house on a Thursday afternoon, and we started working. At the end of it, [Jackson] said he wanted me to continue to work on music for him. He said, “What do you need?” And I said, I just need a studio, and I need to fly all my team in. He’s like, “You got it.” The next day, he locked me in the studio, and I was in there for like, literally, 90 days straight.
Were you at all intimidated by working with an icon like Michael Jackson at that time?
I was definitely in awe that it was Michael Jackson, pretty much the first nine months we worked together. Maybe because I was so young. You dream of working with him, but you don’t think it’s going to happen, especially because Michael didn’t work with many people. You look at his [frequent collaborators] like Quincy Jones, Teddy Riley, but it wasn’t a lot of people that got a chance to work with Michael as he got older. So, that call to work with him was like, wow. And then me and him just became really cool. We had the dopest, coolest friendship, and that just made the world of a difference to be able to see him outside of the studio. To see him in his different form, from artist to just being Michael and hanging with him and shutting down theme parks.
You’ve worked with everybody who’s anybody in the music industry. Which artist would you say has challenged you the most creatively?
Oh, Michael, you ain’t even gotta say no more. But [top three], I’ll say Michael, then Raye, and then Beyoncé. It used to be Beyoncé before Raye, but Raye challenges a song like you would not believe.
Yes, she’s incredible. What would you say makes her so special?
She’s not scared to do what’s not there. Like a lot of times, I feel like record companies sometimes will put artists in positions where they need to do what’s currently out or what’s fitting for the system. But she reminds me a lot of free-spirited artists who are like, I’m going to do whatever I feel like doing, and I admire that.
Beyoncé is someone you worked with both during her Destiny’s Child days and early on in her solo career. What’s it been like to see her grow into arguably the greatest performer of our time?
Seeing her evolve from those early years … I mean, we always saw her as a leader, even when she was in the group. But by the time I got to “Deja Vu,” she was a different Beyoncé. She was meeting with visual people while we were making the song, talking about the way she wanted the video to be. She had all these ideas, and you saw the progression in her as an artist really quickly. It reminded me a lot of working with Michael. Being able to visualize the ending of it all, to be able to see where it’s going to go before it gets there. That was the unique thing about working with her.
Jerkins says he eventually plans to retire as a producer one day: “I gotta hit a fifth decade first, though.”
You’ve been fortunate to work with more modern artists as well. Why is it important for tenured producers like yourself to stay tapped in with the current generation?
If you’re going to do it, you might as well do it. That’s my thing. We have every reason to say we don’t want to do this anymore. There’s been days I wake up feeling like that where it’s like, do I really want to go in the studio and try to create for someone right now? But then something happens creatively and it’s like, oh, yeah, that’s why I signed up for this. But in order for you to evolve in this space, you have to keep working with new artists. A lot of people will ask, “Who’s your favorite artist to work with?” And I’m like, well, if I said that, then I’ll be limiting myself for the future. So I think you always have to keep your mind open because you just never know who is going to be the next legend. I keep trying to push myself to evolve and stay fresh and work with artists, and hopefully give them something that I feel represents them. And also, it’s good enough that people can respect it and love it at the same time.
Has your definition of success changed since your career started 30 years ago?
I’ve always known that the definition of success is a very long paragraph. I don’t know that it’s changed much. If anything, it makes me respect the word more. Because success doesn’t happen overnight. I know that sounds cliché, but it doesn’t. You gotta put that real work in and that real time to experience the ultimate success. Some people can have a great moment, but to have the longevity of it all, to me, is the real success. To be able to say I’ve been successful in pretty much every decade that I’ve worked in, that is the real success.
What’s going to be your next pivotal chapter?
This is it. I promise you, this is it. You see some people, and they still want to make rap albums close to 60 years old. But I can’t see myself being close to 60 one day and still wanting to produce records. That’s just me. At some point, there is another generation, and you gotta pass that torch. So I’m working closely with my kids now and developing their styles and sounds and all the different things to help them progress. And if this is the path they want to take, then I’m going to support it wholeheartedly. I always tell them, do it so I can stop [laughs].
So, you’re going to do a formal retirement one day?
Yeah, one day. I gotta hit a fifth decade first, though.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
