The Genius That is Bryan Michael Cox

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.

To be a great producer, you have to understand every genre. You've got to have a love and affinity for everything

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.

"I feel like R&B's going to have a resurgence. You've seen what?s happened with the L.M.A. record, you've seen what's happened with H.E.R., with Damn Caesar, you see what's happening with these artists who are making some real movement. It's a reflection of people reacting or gravitating to R&B music." To keep the circle unbroken, Cox calls on the driving force of a younger generation. "To all my little black boys and girls growing up, if you're great at something, be great. Do not ever underestimate who you are or what you feel you can do. If you're great at creating content walk in that s* * t! We need to be teaching ownership because our kids are still enchanted with labels. You shouldn't be looking for Columbia, Atlantic, Def Jam- they're looking for y'all."

Cox continues, "I've seen a lot of different styles come and go and come back. I've always tried to keep my ear to the streets and try to keep my ear to what the youth is doing and try to really pay attention to what everybody else is doing. I've always embraced the youth and I've always wanted to understand what they're doing. I don't carry myself as an old person. This business keeps us young," Cox told us at Level21. Cox may have been talking about what influences his style, but style applies to more than just the clothes on your back. In fact, it's that style and Cox's desire to stay engaged in current trends that contributes to the longevity of his career.

Artists who were once on Cox's wish list have become a hit list of artists he's teamed up with to produce cultural classics. At this point in his career he's partnered with so many legendary performers and amassed so many awards that Bryan Michael Cox has become the producer that even the stars prefer. "I've worked with artists who I never thought I'd work with. Mariah and Whitney were unattainable. Mary J. Blige, they?re the queens of it all. I grew up wanting to work with them", Cox passionately retorts. "Growing up as a kid from Houston I never imagined that one day I'd work with these artists."

The key to it all, regardless of genre, lay in the songs and how they're constructed. As a producer, that's where Cox comes into play. "I discovered that when I worked with Usher. The best songs are conversations," Cox explains.

"The first song I ever wrote with Usher was a record called 'U Got it Bad,' and that song came through a conversation. I learned from him and Jermaine- "Oh, sh* t, we want to talk about songs. "We want to talk about what we're going through, and through us conversing, these songs are going to present themselves, they're going to develop." This only happens because of our relationships. Cox has worked with platinum-selling artists like Usher, Mariah Carey, Kanye West and Mary J. Bilge, and has done so for over a decade; it's safe to say Cox is a master of both. And, according to us here at Level21, he?'ll continue to be regardless of where the music industry goes from here.