Scott Storch's knack for laying down dazzling keyboard lines led to a burgeoning career as a musically blessed producer by the early 2000s after aligning himself with production duties for high-profile rappers such as
Snoop Dogg and
Busta Rhymes. Long before
Storch was crafting entire tracks for superstar rappers, he was a humble keyboardist. He contributed to mostly forgotten Philadelphia-area efforts such as
Schoolly D's Welcome to America (1994) and
G. Love & Special Sauce's self-titled debut (1994), yet his humble contributions to a then low-profile, indie-label debut album by another Philadelpha act ended up being his path to success.
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This particular album happened to be
the Roots'
Organix (1993), an album that led to a major label deal for
the Roots, solidifying
Storch's role as keyboardist for the group. Yet as the years passed and his reputation grew as the talented keyboardist in America's premier live hip-hop "band,"
Storch began extending his reach, taking on production opportunities. His big break came when his keyboard riff laced the mammoth lead single to
Dr. Dre's comeback album, "Still D.R.E." Working alongside
Dre obviously had its pluses, and soon
Storch found himself co-producing the lead single to
Xzibit's
Restless album, "X," and getting the opportunity to produce three tracks for
Snoop Dogg's
Tha Last Meal. In subsequent years he became one of the
rap industry's most reliable hitmakers, up there with
the Neptunes,
Kanye West, and
Lil Jon among the industry's most in-demand hired hands. Some of his best-known productions include
Terror Squad's "Lean Back,"
Mario's "Let Me Love You,"
50 Cent's "Candy Shop," and
Beyoncé's "Naughty Girl." ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide