The-Dream

On a warm summer day similar to this one three years ago, I decided to extend my musical prowess into an arena that, at the time, I assumed was easy. After all, I had listened to more than enough R&B throughout the course of my life to pen a respectable record. Stupid me. Needless to say, I bombed, but can sleep easy at night knowing all remnants of the Pro Tools session have been sent to internet exile never to be heard again.

My songwriting career ended just as quickly as it started and since then my respect level for those who do specialize in the craft increased tenfold. No disrespect to Ne-Yo who may potentially have more unreleased material than Tupac, but Terius Nash, better known as The-Dream, has been the mastermind (along with Tricky Stewart) behind some of R&B’s most commercially successful hits in recent memory.

Yes, Ne-Yo has too, but this isn’t about him. Work with me, people.

I’ve always viewed The-Dream’s songwriting ability as amazing, but after hearing he crafted Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” in under thirty minutes, his talent was stamped in my book (not that I was a huge fan of the song, but that’s some prolific shit). Earlier today I was pleased to come across his demo for Jamie Foxx’s “Rainman,” which was found on the actor/singer’s latest album, Intuition. Yet at the same time, I’m perplexed as to who had the better version and will probably flip flop so much that a decision will likely lose all credibility at the end of the day.

Regardless, the fact he has given away so many hits, yet managed to create just as many for himself continues to boggle me. Instead of searching for an answer, I will continue to let the music speak for itself. Tip coined the phrase best, “respect this hustle.” And with that said, I will.

Download — The-Dream – “Rainman” | Jamie Foxx – “Rainman”

Bonus: The-Dream – “Bed” (J. Holiday Reference) | The-Dream – “Umbrella” (Rihanna Reference)