Bryan-Michael Cox on Jermaine Dupri, Usher's Confessions, and Be Without You

Bryan-Michael Cox has written and produced some of the biggest R&B records ever made. Jagged Edge. Usher. Mariah Carey. Mary J. Blige. Bow Wow and Ciara. If it rocked a dance floor between 1999 and 2006, there's a good chance he touched it.

On this episode of Mixed and Mastered, Jeffrey Sledge sits down with Bryan to start at the beginning. Growing up between Miami and Houston. Watching DJ Screw's South Side scene up close. Cutting his first demos on Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland while still in high school. Choosing Atlanta over New York and using college as his ticket in.

Then the hits. Getting discovered by Jermaine Dupri through Jagged Edge. Landing the lead single for JD's own group. Replaying the beat for Welcome to Atlanta and accidentally scoring every airport arrival since. Watching Burn and Confessions Part II trade the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. The leak that changed Usher's rollout. The joy of the Mariah sessions. And how Be Without You started as a frustrated phone call from Jimmy Iovine and ended with Bryan putting his ego down to work with Ron Fair.

Bun B pulls up late to show love, and the two get into what the culture is telling us right now: streams don't fill rooms, and the club still tells the truth.

This is Mixed and Mastered with Bryan-Michael Cox.

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