Christopher Stewart (music producer)
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| Chris "Tricky" Stewart | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Alan Stewart |
| Also known as | "Tricky", "Trixster", "Trixstar", 'C. "Tricky" Stewart' |
| Born | January 4, 1974 Markham, Illinois |
| Genre(s) | R&B Hip hop Alternative hip hop Hip pop Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Music Impresario, Executive Producer, Record Producer, Musical Arranger, Composer, Entertainment Industry Executive, Recording Studio Owner,Musician |
| Years active | 1992 – present |
| Associated acts | The-Dream, Ciara, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Britney Spears, Mya, Blu Cantrell, Jesse McCartney, Rihanna |
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American songwriter, music producer, music publisher, executive producer, recording industry executive and recording studio owner. In a career spanning 16 years, Stewart, at the helm of his company RedZone Entertainment, is responsible for over 25 million records sold.[1] He is noted for producing many pop and R&B chart topping singles, such as JT Money’s “Who Dat”, Mýa’s “Case Of The Ex”, Britney Spears and Madonna’s “Me Against the Music”, Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine”, The-Dream’s “Falsetto”, Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body", Jesse McCartney’s “Leavin'”[2], and Ciara's new single, "High Price" among many others.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Childhood/Early Years
Tricky Stewart was born Christopher Alan Stewart in Markham, Illinois. Raised in a musical family, Stewart was playing guitar, playing keyboards and writing songs by the age of 12. Stewart's older brother, record producer Laney Stewart, introduced him to one of his first music business mentors, the late Louil Silas, Jr.. Silas fostered Tricky’s music career by giving him the opportunity to contribute to the projects of several major artists. Before graduating high school, Stewart had placements with artists such as Aaron Hall, rhythm and blues trio Immature, and Chanté Moore. Stewart credits his work with Chanté Moore with opening many doors for him in his burgeoning music career.[3]
[edit] 1994-2000
In 1994, Stewart produced "Treat U Right" for Blackgirl. Around this time,Stewart met record producer and songwriter L.A. Reid, who offered him a deal to move his production company to Atlanta. In 1995, with the support of Reid, in partnership with his brother Laney Stewart, his brother Mark Stewart, and his sister-in-law Judi Stewart, Tricky established RedZone Entertainment and Triangle Sound studios in West Buckhead, Atlanta, GA.
Stewart's career and reputation continued to grow, achieving a major breakthrough in 1999 when he co-wrote the single "Who Dat" for JT Money. "Who Dat" was a #1 rap single, Ascap's "Song Of The Year", and reached #5 on the Billboard pop chart.[4] As a talent scout and manager, Stewart and RedZone helped grow the careers of such artists as Solé and Sam Salter.
In 2000 Tricky co-wrote and produced Interscope artist Mya's breakthrough "Case of the Ex", a song about a strong woman who won't tolerate her boyfriend going back to his ex-girlfriend. "Case of the Ex" hit number 2 on the Billboard "Hot 100" in December 2000, and stayed in the Top 10 for a full three months.[5]. Around this time, Stewart discovered and signed Blu Cantrell, and went on to executive produce her debut album "So Blu" on Arista records. "So Blu" peaked at #8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 charts and spawned the #2 hit "Hit 'em Up Style (Oops!)".
[edit] 2001-2005
In 2002, Tricky produced and cowrote the single "Uh-Huh" on B2K's self titled album, which entered the Billboard Top 200 at number two and went platinum.[6] The single, "Uh-Huh" was the number one selling Single in the U.S.. The video for the song went to number one on MTV's TRL, and won the Viewers Choice Award at the BET Awards.[7]
2003 saw the release of Blu Cantrell's second album "Bittersweet", featuring a Tricky Stewart production; the single "Breathe". "Breathe" peaked at #8 on the United World Chart. This same year Stewart Co-wrote and co-produced Britney Spears' "Me Against The Music" featuring Madonna, which stayed at the top of the United World Chart for four weeks. He also produced Mya's single "My Love Is Like...Wo" off of her album "Moodring", which peaked at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
[edit] 2006-Present
2007 was truly a breakthrough year for Stewart and RedZone Entertainment. Rihanna's single "Umbrella", co-written with The-Dream and Kuk Harrell, garnered two Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and a Grammy for "Best Rap/Song Collaboration. Originally penned with Britney Spears in mind, then on hold for Mary J. Blige who was unable to approve it in time, Stewart initially had doubts about whether or not Rihanna was the right choice for the song. That was until he heard her on the record. In an interview with MTV, Stewart said
| “ | When she recorded the 'ellas' you knew it was about to be the jump-off, and your life was about to change if you had anything to do with that record. |
” |
Released in late March, 2007, "Umbrella" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart by May, rising 40 spots in one week to land and stay seven straight weeks at number one. The song also broke the iTunes music store's record for biggest debut ever. The success brought Rihanna to a new level of fame, co-writer "The-Dream" went on to debut his own hit record"Love Hate" (executive produced by Stewart), and Stewart finished out the year working with such notable artists as Janet Jackson, Celine Dion (Skies of L.A. off her new album "Taking Chances"), and Usher ("Moving Mountains" and "This Ain't Sex" of his new album Here I Stand).
| “ | It's crazy, just being a part of that, I've seen a lot of things in my time in the music business, but to see a record take off like that, it's just amazing. |
” |
Stewart was also nominated in 2007 for a Grammy for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" on Mary J. Blige's Just Fine" that same year, Stewart also co-wrote and produced on the album. "Growing Pains", as well as The vocals were produced by his production and writing partner Kuk Harrell. This writing and production team, comprised of Tricky, The-Dream, and Kuk Harrell, proved to be a winning combination.
Stewart executive produced The-Dream's debut album "Love Hate", which launched with the single "Shawty Is a 10", a single peaking on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at #6. Stewart co-wrote and produced the two follow up singles, "Falsetto" and "I Luv Your Girl".
The single "Touch My Body" off of Mariah Carey's album "E=MC2", produced by Stewart and Carey was described as "...a No. 1 just waiting to pounce the Billboard Hot 100" by Chuck Taylor of Billboard Magazine. On April 2, 2008 it was announced that "Touch My Body" became Carey's 18th #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, pushing her to second place among artists with the most #1 singles in the rock era and first place as a solo artist in the same category, surpassing Elvis Presley. The achievement was attributed to a record-breaking digital sales debut, as 286,000 copies were sold in its first week of availability.
He recently produced Ciara's new single High Price featuring Ludacris, which is slated for release in June. He has also signed to co-executive produce the 'Groove City' section of her upcoming three-disc compilation album, Fantasy Ride, which will be released in September.
[edit] Discography/Credits
[edit] Produced Singles
- 2000: "Case Of The Ex" (Mýa)
- 2003: "Me Against the Music (Britney Spears featuring Madonna)
- 2007: "Umbrella" (Rihanna featuring Jay-Z)
- 2007: "Just Fine" (Mary J. Blige) (produced with Jazze Pha)
- 2007: "Suffocate" (J. Holiday)
- 2007: "Falsetto" (The-Dream)
- 2007: "I Luv Your Girl" (The-Dream)
- 2008: "Touch My Body" (Mariah Carey)
- 2008: "Leavin'" (Jesse McCartney)
- 2008: "High Price" (Ciara featuring Ludacris)
- 2008: "Moving Mountains" (Usher)
- 2008: "16@War" (Karina Pasian)
[edit] Credits
| Year | Album/Song | Artist | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Here I Stand | Usher | Composer, Producer |
| 2008 | Here I Stand/"This Ain't Sex" | Usher | Composer, Producer |
| 2008 | Here I Stand/"Moving Mountains" | Usher | Composer, Producer |
| 2008 | E=MC2 | Mariah Carey | Composer, Producer |
| 2008 | E=MC2 | Mariah Carey | Composer, Producer |
| 2008 | E=MC2(Deluxe Edition) | Mariah Carey | Composer, Producer |
| 2008 | E=MC2/"Touch My Body" | Mariah Carey | Composer, Producer |
| 2008 | Departure | Jesse McCartney | Composer, Producer |
| 2008 | Departure/"Leavin'" | Jesse McCartney | Composer, Producer |
| 2008 | Discipline | Janet Jackson | Producer |
| 2008 | Discipline (CD/DVD Japan Deluxe Edition) | Janet Jackson | Producer |
| 2008 | Discipline (CD/DVD) | Janet Jackson | Producer |
| 2008 | Back of My Lac' (CD/DVD) | J. Holiday | Executive Producer, Producer, Composer |
| 2008 | Fantasy Ride | Ciara | Composer |
| 2008 | Fantasy Ride/"High Price" | Ciara | Producer |
| 2007 | Love Hate | The-Dream | Composer, Producer, Director |
| 2007 | Love Hate (clean) | The-Dream | Composer, Producer, Director |
| 2007 | Love Hate/"Falsetto" | The-Dream | Composer, Producer |
| 2007 | Love Hate/"I Luv Your Girl" | The-Dream | Composer, Producer |
| 2007 | The Bois d'Arcs | The Bois d'Arcs | Banjo, Guitar, Vocals (background) |
| 2007 | Telestrion | Telestrion | Drums |
| 2007 | Good Girl Gone Bad | Rihanna | Composer, Producer, Keyboards, Drum Programming |
| 2007 | Good Girl Gone Bad (Bonus CD) | Rihanna | Composer, Producer, Keyboards, Drum Programming |
| 2007 | Good Girl Gone Bad/"Umbrella" | Rihanna | Composer, Producer |
| 2007 | Ananda (CD/DVD) | Paulina Rubio | Producer |
| 2007 | Ananda (Standard) | Paulina Rubio | Producer |
| 2007 | Growing Pains | Mary J. Blige | Composer, Producer, Keyboards, Drum Programming, Mix Supervision |
| 2007 | Growing Pains/"Just Fine" | Mary J. Blige | Composer, Producer |
| 2007 | Back of my Lac' (CD/DVD Clean) | J. Holiday | Producer |
| 2007 | Back of My Lac' (Clean) | J. Holiday | Producer |
| 2007 | Back of My Lac'/"Bed" | J. Holiday | Composer, Producer |
| 2007 | Back of My Lac'/"Suffocate" | J. Holiday | Composer, Producer |
| 2007 | Taking Chances | Celine Dion | Producer, Keyboards, Drum Programming |
| 2007 | Taking Chances (CD/DVD) | Celine Dion | Producer, Keyboards, Drum Programming |
| 2006 | Alter Ego | Tyrese | Producer |
| 2006 | Tomorrow Time | The Boats | Guitar, Vocals |
| 2006 | The Best of Sisqo 20th Century Masters Millennium Collection | Sisqo | Producer |
| 2006 | Ananda (Target Bonus Track) | Paulina Rubio | Producer |
| 2006 | Ananda (Walmart Bonus Track) | Paulina Rubio | Producer |
| 2006 | Director | Avant | Producer |
| 2006 | Director(Circuit City Exclusive) | Avant | Producer |
| 2005 | Back For More | Shawn Desmond | Arranger, Programming, Instrumentation |
| 2005 | Back For More (Bonus CD) | Shawn Desmond | Arranger, Programming, Instrumentation |
| 2005 | Girlfight (Australia) | Brooke Valentine | Producer |
| 2005 | In The Zone (DualDisc) | Britney Spears | Programming, Instrumentation |
| 2004 | Been Around The World, Pt. 1 | Zena | Producer |
| 2004 | Greatest Hits: My Perogative | Britney Spears | Arranger, Programming, Multi-instrumentation |
| 2004 | Greatest Hits: My Perogative (Import Bonus CD) | Britney Spears | Arranger, Programming, Multi-instrumentation |
| 2004 | Greatest Hits: My Perogative (U.S. Bonus CD) | Britney Spears | Arranger, Programming, Multi-instrumentation |
| 2004 | In The Zone (DVD Audio/Bonus Videos) | Britney Spears | Arranger, Programming, Vocals (background), Instrumentation |
| 2004 | In The Zone (Import Bonus Track) | Britney Spears | Arranger, Programming, Vocals (background), Instrumentation |
| 2004 | Bittersweet (Australia Bonus Tracks) | Blu Cantrell | Producer, Executive Producer, Drum Programming |
| 2004 | B2K Greatest Hits | B2K | Producer |
| 2004 | Chapter III | Allure | Producer, Programming, Instrumentation |
| 2003 | Moodring | Mýa | Producer |
| 2003 | Moodring (UK bonus tracks) | Mýa | Producer |
| 2003 | Moodring/"My Love Is Like...Wo" | Mýa | Producer |
| 2003 | In the Zone | Britney Spears | Arranger, Programming, Vocals (background), Multi-instruments |
| 2003 | In the Zone (Australia Bonus Tracks) | Britney Spears | Producer, Arranger, Programming, Vocals (background), Multi-instruments |
| 2003 | Me Against the Music | Britney Spears | Composer, Producer, Arranger, Programming, Instrumentation |
| 2003 | Me Against the Music (Remixes) | Britney Spears | Composer, Arranger, Programming, Instrumentation |
| 2003 | Me Against the Music (Australia CD) | Britney Spears | Composer, Arranger, Programming, Instrumentation |
| 2003 | Me Against the Music, Pt. 2 | Britney Spears | Composer, Producer, Arranger, Programming, Instrumentation |
| 2003 | Bittersweet (w/Explicit Bonus CD) | Blu Cantrell | Executive Producer, Drum Programming, Mixing, Instrumentation |
| 2003 | Bittersweet/Breathe (CD5) | Blu Cantrell | Executive Producer |
| 2002 | Funky Divas: The Autumn Collection | Various Artists | Producer |
| 2002 | The New Guy (Soundtrack) | Various Artists | Producer |
| 2002 | Pure R&B, Vol 3 | Various Artists | Producer |
| 2002 | Bad Company (Original Soundtrack) | Various Artists | Producer |
| 2002 | B2K | B2K | Producer |
| 2001 | Down To Earth, Music From the Motion Picture | Various Artists | Producer, Programmer, Sequencing |
| 2001 | Smash Hits Summer 2001 | Various Artists | Producer |
| 2001 | Soul Power | Various Artists | Producer |
| 2001 | Prophet Jones | Prophet Jones | Producer, Programming, Keyboards |
| 2001 | Fear Of Flying | Mýa | Producer, Programming, Keyboards |
| 2001 | Fear Of Flying (Bonus Tracks) | Mýa | Producer, Programming, Keyboards |
| 2001 | Fear Of Flying/"Case Of The Ex" | Mýa | Producer |
| 2001 | Bridging The Gap | Charlie Wilson | Producer, Keyboards |
| 2001 | So Blu | Blu Cantrell | Executive Producer, Producer |
| 1999 | BET: Best Of Rap City | Various Artists | Producer |
| 1999 | BET: Best Of Rap City (Clean) | Various Artists | Producer |
| 1999 | Skin Deep | Sole | Producer, Executive Producer |
| 1999 | Skin Deep (Clean) | Sole | Producer, Executive Producer |
| 1999 | Rise To Power | Kane and Abel | Programming, Multi-Instruments, Sequencing |
| 1999 | Pimpin' On Wax | J.T. Money | Producer, Engineer, Programming, Vocals, Performer |
| 1999 | Pimpin' On Wax/"Who dat" feat. Sole | J.T. Money | Producer, Composer |
| 1999 | Daydreamin' | Before Dark | Sequencing, Keyboards |
| 1998 | Player's Club (Soundtrack) | Various Artists | Producer |
| 1998 | Player's Club (Soundtrack, Clean) | Various Artists | Producer |
| 1998 | Tyrese | Tyrese | Producer, Engineer |
| 1998 | Tyrese (Clean) | Tyrese | Programming, Sequencing |
| 1998 | Don't Get It Twisted | Fressha | Producer, Engineer, Remixing |
| 1996 | Mista | Mista | Producer |
| 1996 | Now And Forever | Color Me Badd | Keyboards |
| 1994 | Straight To The Point | Damion Hall | Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Programming, Sequencing |
| 1994 | Treat U Right | Blackgirl | Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Arranger, Sequencing |
| 1993 | NBA Jam Session | Various Artists | Programming, Remixing, Sequencing |
| 1993 | Remixes in the Key of B | Bobby Brown | Multi-instruments, remixing |
| 1993 | The Truth | Aaron Hall | Sequencing |
| 1992 | Our Worst Behavior | Immature | Drums |
[edit] Awards and Nominations
| Year | Album/Artist/Song | Award/Nomination |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Good Girl Gone Bad/Rihanna feat. Jay Z/"Umbrella" | NMPA double platinum "note"[8] |
| 2007 | Good Girl Gone Bad/Rihanna feat. Jay Z/"Umbrella" | Grammy Nomination "Song of the Year" |
| 2007 | Good Girl Gone Bad/Rihanna feat. Jay Z/"Umbrella" | Grammy Nomination "Record of the Year" |
| 2007 | Good Girl Gone Bad/Rihanna feat. Jay Z/"Umbrella" | Grammy "Best Rap/Song Collaboration" |
| 2007 | Growing Pains/Mary J. Blige/"Just Fine" | Grammy Nomination "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" |
| 2007 | Good Girl Gone Bad/Rihanna/"Umbrella" | NMPA double platinum |
| 2007 | Good Girl Gone Bad/Rihanna/"Umbrella" | ASCAP Pop Award "One of the Most Played Songs of 2007" |
