Music Meets Fashion Falling Through April (Double Cover)

THE GENIUS
That Is..
BRYAN- MI CHAEL COX
A written Collaboration by: Christopher Pointe and Kaitlin Booe
The mark of a great architect is not in the volume of what he?s
built, but in the impact his creation has on its surroundings.
The same can be said for musical architects, and producers
are the architects of the soundtracks of our lives. The best
ones not only have extensive resumes, but they also forever
impact whoever hears their songs. Bryan-Michael Cox is the
epitome of such a producer. What Mozart was to classical
music, Bryan-Michael Cox is to R&B and pop music.
Raised in Houston, Texas, Cox knew Beyoncé in high school,
and even if his first demo tape was with her, Cox?s career truly
began as so many do? with an internship for the then
Georgia-based Noontime Records. Cox has said of moving
from Houston to Georgia, ?Back then, there were three
choices if you wanted to be in the music industry. Live in New
York, live in L.A., or live in Atlanta.? So, Cox enrolled in Clark
Atlanta University ?because I was just trying to get to Atlanta.?
Since then, he?s reconnected with Beyoncé (he produced a
track for Destiny?s Child) and has been mentored by So So
Def?s Jermaine Dupri, but Cox has carved out his own place
behind the scenes of some of the industry?s most lucrative
stars like Usher, Bow Wow, Justin Bieber, R. Kelly, and
Drake? just to name a few.
Cox is also responsible for over 100 million record sales and
thirty-five No. 1 hits. With that in mind, it?s easy to say that
Cox has done it all. ?To be a great producer, you have to
understand every genre. You?ve got to have a love and affinity
for everything,? he explains. With a portfolio that boasts
Grammy Awards and nominations alike (nine wins and twelve
nominations if you?re counting), Cox?s success speaks for
itself. His accolades are even more impressive when you
consider the declining popularity of R&B and pop. Even with
the increasing popularity of hip-hop, Cox isn?t concerned
about the future of either genre. ?Music is always a cycle. As
long as I?ve been alive, it?s been a cycle,? Cox told us when we
asked about where he sees music trends, and listeners?
tastes, ten years from now.