#TBT: Scott Storch

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening once remarked that he gave his main characters such distinctive hairstyles --Homer's two-strand combover, Marge's blue skyscraper, Bart's sawtooth, Lisa's starfish -- so that their silhouettes would be instantly recognizable. This principle applies to Scott Storch, whose songs register with the listener within the first .2 seconds.

In the early 2000s, Storch amassed a $70 million fortune producing for artists like Beyoncé, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, The Game, T.I., Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Nas, Fat Joe, and Lil Wayne (not to mention Paris Hilton and Brooke Hogan). Click through the image gallery to revisit 10 of his most legendary productions.

Storch got his start in the music industry in the early '90s as the keyboard player for The Roots. He would produce dozens of the group's records over the course of the following decade, notably "Proceed," "Don't Say Nuthin," and "One Shine." His best-known work with The Roots is the love story "You Got Me," which he co-produced with Grand Wizzards.

The making of the Dre-, Mel-Man-, and Scott Storch-produced "Still D.R.E.," as told by Dre protégé Hittman:

"One night at the old A&M Studios, Scott got on the keys and started to play what we all recognize now as 'Still D.R.E.' and Mel came out of nowhere and started bangin’ out patterns on the drum machine. Dre was at the board tweakin the sounds…then Jimmy [Iovine] came into the studio seemingly amused by our vibe and said, 'There it is!'"

Dre and Storch proved a lethal combination on "Still D.R.E.," and they reunited two years later to produce Eve's inescapable 2001 smash "Let Me Blow Ya Mind."

On "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," Storch demonstrated his ear for melody. On “Me, Myself, & I,” he demonstrated his ear for harmony by laying down some ill tritone substitutions to create a wistful vibe, over which Beyonce affirms her inner strength following a salty break-up: “I took a vow from now on... I’m gonna be my own best friend.”

"Lean Back" went #1, due in large part to Storch's torrid, string-driven production. The song's music video takes a humorous turn when Lil Jon shows up to the Terror Squad's house party, and a young Kevin Hart comes out to inform him and his entourage that the party is at capacity. This, of course, does not deter Lil Jon. 

Storch wasn't a minimalist, but like all great producers, he stripped down a song to its essential elements so that there are no wasted motions. Exhibit A... "Candy Shop."

[Honorable mention Scott Storch The Massacre production: "Just a Lil Bit."]

2004-2006 was Storch's peak, creatively and financially. He's probably still getting royalty checks for helping launch Chris Brown's career by producing his debut, chart-topping single "Run It."

[Honorable mention Scott Storch Chris Brown production: "Gimme That."]

Never have those fake synthesizer trumpets sounded so good as they sounded on "Make It Rain." It sounds like an entire marching band is saluting Lil Wayne as he turns the strip club into a Tity Boi-esque category 5 hurricane.

Storch was honored with ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year award in 2006. That same year was the beginning of his downfall -- he took an extended summer vacation and developed a taste (or what some might call an addiction) for the finer things in life. According to his Wikipedia bio, he "purchased a private jet, a 117-foot yacht, and nearly 20 luxury cars, about half of which he estimated he purchased while high on cocaine. [He] squandered $30 million in less than six months, and was in dire financial straits by January 2007."

"Shutterbugg" represented an important milestone (and change in sound) for Storch's comeback from his drug and financial issues. They would continue -- he declared bankruptcy in 2015 -- but he's sober now aside for the ubiquitous cigarette dangling from his lip and back on the road to Hitsville, USA.