More than perhaps anyone else this decade, Terius Nash (AKA The-Dream) has been R&B's go-to behind-the-scenes man. Although his solo career has attracted a ravenous, cultish following, The-Dream's biggest smash hits (and paychecks) have come courtesy of his songwriting. He's penned tracks for Rihanna, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige-- basically all of the most prominent female R&B singers since the '90s-- and even seen a few of them hit number one.
It's pretty common knowledge that Terius did Rih Rih's "Umbrella," Bey's "Single Ladies" and Justin Bieber's "Baby," so we're digging for the more unexpected ones. These aren't necessarily obscure tracks, but rather ones you never guessed you'd see The-Dream's name on.
After reading this, be sure to check out the similar features we did for Frank Ocean and Ty Dolla $ign.
B2K - "Everything" (2002)
Songwriters: Dave Silcox, Terius Nash, Jason Bond.
Dream's earliest recorded writing credit was also the one that got him a publishing deal from Laney Stewart, the older brother of Dream's future creative partner, Tricky Stewart. This one was a deep cut on B2K's final album, but it's bolstered by the sort of strong, catchy hook we've come to expect from Mr. Nash.
Britney Spears - "Me Against The Music" feat. Madonna (2003)
Songwriters: Britney Spears, Madonna, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Thabiso "Tab" Nikhereanye, Penelope Magnet, Terius Nash, Gary O'Brien.
This one must have been pretty crazy to work on, as it ended up going number one in nine different countries. As Dream told Entertainment Weekly, ”I was just getting into the business. I’m in Atlanta, driving home in a ‘92 Cadillac, and I get the call [from Tricky]: ‘We’re gonna cut this song with Britney.’ I hung up and just screamed out joyous sounds.”
Clipse - "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" feat. Slim Thug (2006)
Songwriters: Pharrell Williams, Gene Thornton, Terrence Thornton, Stayve Thomas, Terius Nash.
As there's no singing on this one from Clipse's legendary album Hell Hath No Fury, it was always kind of strange to see The-Dream's name connected to it.
Yung Joc - "Coffee Shop" feat. Gorilla Zoe (2007)
Songwriters: Alonzo Mathis, Terius Nash, Darnell Richard, Yung Joc, Hosea Williams.
This Joc hit also featured uncredited vocals from Terius on the hook.
J. Holiday - "Bed" (2007)
Songwriters: The-Dream, Los Da Mystro.
Along with "Umbrella," this one was responsible for putting The-Dream on the map and paving the way for his solo debut album later that year. The label thought J. Holiday would be a more successful singer, which is why they had him sing this track, but time has shown how wrong they were.
Usher - "Moving Mountains" 2008
Songwriters: Usher, The-Dream, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Kuk Harrell.
One of Usher's most successful ballads was co-written and co-produced by Nash.
Kanye West & Jay Z "No Church In the Wild" (2011)
Songwriters: Kanye West, Shawn Carter, Charles Njapa, Michael Dean, Christopher Francis, Terius Nash, Gary Wright, Phil Manzanera, James Brown, Joseph Roach.
What do you get when you cross 'Ye, Hova, Nash, James Brown, the guitarist of Roxy Music and five more musicians? This. Frank Ocean obviously took the lead on vocals here, but The-Dream also contributed some uncredited ones.
Kim Kardashian - "Jam (Turn It Up)" (2011)
Songwriters: The-Dream, Tricky Stewart.
Remember when Kim K tried to make a career as a singer and it only yielded one song to date? Welp, The-Dream wrote her ill-advised track "Jam (Turn It Up)," and due to the fat payday he most likely received for this, it's hard to hate on him for it. Her, on the other hand...
A$AP Rocky - "Fashion Killa" (2013)
Songwriters: Rakim Mayers, Hector Delgado, James Laurence, Dylan Reznick, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Speaking about the "ella ella ay ay ay" part of "Umbrella" in a 2007 interview with Rolling Stone, The-Dream said "I call it the dumb part. I have to put the dumb part in every song I write. I have my reasons." This has led to a number of inane-but-catchy hooks, and the one on "Fashion Killa" might be the dumbest of all: "Her pistol go 'bang-bang, boom-boom, pop-pop'." Like most things The-Dream has written, it works.
Jay Z - "Heaven" feat. Justin Timberlake (2013)
Songwriters: Justin Timberlake, Shawn Carter, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Timothy Mosley, Jerome Harmon, William Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Adrian Younge.
You've come a long way if you're writing hooks for Justin Timberlake, and even longer if you're able to get the "OK" from R.E.M. to use lyrics from their biggest song.