Sunday, August 24, 2008
Quick, A+E, Music, Q&A

Making hit records with LRoc

A Quick Q&A

Although he’s not as well known as Jermaine Dupri, Atlanta musician, writer and producer James Elbert Phillips—aka LRoc—boasts a resume just as deep, including tracks for Mariah Carey, Nelly, Bonecrusher, Mario and others. A Grammy winner for his part in co-writing Usher’s “Yeah!,” the Liberian-born Phillips slogged for years as a musician, including a gig playing keyboards for Lil Jon. That in turn got him noticed by Dupri, who enlisted his help on several projects, eventually tapping him for an exclusive relationship with his own So So Def label.—Kevin Forest Moreau

Q You studied classical piano as a child. Does that training have any bearing on the work you do today?

A Absolutely. Definitely. Classical is very melodic and it definitely helped me early on with my melodies. … My approach early on with Lil Jon—I was playing classical-style music on top of his ghetto beats. I’ve taken that and expanded it over time into different things.

Is there an artist you’ve worked with who’s really surprised you?

Killer Mike—he’s a rapper who’s worked with OutKast, I’ve worked with him in my studio. I wouldn’t say he surprised me; I always admired his skill. But getting into the studio was a whole other level—his work, his lyrics—I was like, wow.

What’s inspiring to you?

I like to see growth in artists. That’s a real gift to me. Usher, Mary [J. Blige], all those kind of artists. If someone asks me what kind of artist I like to work with, it’s those that work hard to get better and grow over time. Even young artists who haven’t come out yet that I’ve watched grow and show signs of openness. Just an open creative atmosphere, people who like to grow and try new things, that inspires me, too.

What’s the secret to making a hit record?

I don’t have any secrets. It’s melody, it’s instinct and intuition. My approach is definitely [to find] … the right kind of melody to fit the situation. It’s having the experience I’ve had with different kinds of music, from jazz to classical to funk, and playing in bands and knowing a whole lot of songs in my ear. I get inspired also by the artist; if it’s a really fun artist, the music is just more fun.

Any upcoming projects you can talk about?

Right now I’m working with Q, a rapper from Brooklyn, for Tag Records [Dupri’s new collaborating with the makers of the Tag body spray]. He’s excellent. I’m excited about his project right now. I’m also excited about my writing team. I’m putting together a new company, I Speak Music, and I’m not a lyricist. My preference is having specific writers that we can grow and have a formula—I’ve been looking for that for a long time, you know, and I’ve found it. [The idea is to] create the whole [song] in-house and then shop it to artists.

You started out as a musician and still contribute to some records as a multi-instrumentalist. Have you ever thought about putting out records of your own?

I have. It’s not on my horizon right now. When I do it, it’ll be the right time. My focus has been just making records. I’m a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. SP