Christopher Steven "Brody" Brown is an American songwriter and record producer. Best known for his association with singer Bruno Mars, they met in 2008 and formed the production team Shampoo Press & Curl in 2015.[1] In addition, Brown is also part of the production group 1500 or Nothin' alongside fellow Californians James Fauntleroy, Lamar Edwards and Larrance Dopson. Brown has written or produced for artists including Nipsey Hussle, CeeLo Green, Kesha, Adele, Lukas Graham, Ed Sheeran, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, and Mark Ronson.[2][3][4]

Brody Brown
Birth nameChristopher Steven Brown
BornCompton, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Songwriter
  • record producer
  • multi-instrumentalist
Years active2002–present
Labels
  • 80s Baby
Member of

Early life

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Brown was born in Compton, California. Growing up, he listened to some jazz and mostly gospel that was played everyday and all day on Sundays. As a child, he taught himself to read music and play the drums, bass, guitar and piano. In junior high school, in addition to playing with the school band, he played with rock, salsa, and jazz bands. He also performed regularly at local churches.[5][6]

Brown was a member of The Crips. He was shot at and jailed as a teenager. In a 2016 interview he said that music "kept him from becoming another statistic in a hard neighborhood."[7]

Career

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Brown joined 1500 or Nothin' in 2003, and prior to dropping out of high school in 2005, he began writing and playing with Bobby Valentino, whom he met through a mutual friend.[5][8][6] At 17, he signed a publishing deal with Steve Lindsey, a publishing executive who had also signed Mike Elizondo, Kara DioGuardi, J.R. Rotem, and Mars, among others.[7] Lindsey showed Brown and fellow songwriters Mars and Jeff Bhasker (whom Mars met through Mike Lynn) the ins and outs of writing pop music and acted as a mentor, helping them to hone their craft.[7][9]

Brown subsequently co-wrote tracks with Mars for his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), 24k Magic (2016), and Silk Sonic's An Evening with Silk Sonic. Other songs he co-wrote with Mars include "Grenade", which was nominated for six Grammy Awards in 2011, and the 24K Magic title track, "That's What I Like", which in 2017 won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Performance. 24K Magic also won Album of the Year. He and Mars additionally worked together on tracks for other artists, including Adele's "All I Ask", from 25 (2015), Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa's "Young, Wild, & Free", Mark Ronson's "Feel Right" and CeeLo Green's "Fuck You".[2][3][4]

Brown was a co-writer on Silk Sonic's "Leave the Door Open", which won four 2022 Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Performance. [10]

Grammy Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
2010 "Fuck You" (CeeLo Green) Song of the Year Nominated [3]
2011 "Grenade" (Bruno Mars) Nominated
2012 "Young, Wild & Free" (Snoop Dogg
Wiz Khalifa and Bruno Mars)
Best Rap Song Nominated
2017 25 (Adele) Album of the Year Won
2018 24K Magic (Bruno Mars) Won
"24K Magic" (Bruno Mars) Record of the Year Won
"That's What I Like" (Bruno Mars) Song of the Year Won
Best R&B Song Won
2022 "Leave the Door Open" (Silk Sonic) Song of the Year Won
Best R&B Song Won

Selected discography

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Year Album or Song Artist Credit
2021 An Evening with Silk Sonic Silk Sonic Composer, instrumentation
2020 Alicia Alicia Keys Composer
6pc Hot EP 6LACK Producer
2019 No. 6 Collaborations Project Ed Sheeran Composer
2018 Victory Lap Nipsey Hussle Producer, programmer
Keyboards additional production
2017 That's What I Like Bruno Mars Composer
Rainbow Kesha Producer
2016 "Versace on the Floor" Bruno Mars Composer
"Open Heart" (Acoustic live) CeeLo Green Composer
24K Magic Bruno Mars Composer, vocals (background)
2015 Uptown Special Mark Ronson Bass, composer
Ludaversal Ludacris Composer
"Beast Mode" Ludacris Composer
Lucas Graham Lukas Graham Executive producer, composer
25 Adele Composer, piano
2014 Music of Grand Theft Auto V Soundtrack Composer
2012 Unorthodox Jukebox Bruno Mars Composer
Food & Liquor II
The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1
Lupe Fiasco Composer, producer, programmer
2011 The R.E.D. Album The Game Composer, producer
The Muppets Original Motion Picture Soundtrack The Muppets Composer
2010 "Fuck You" CeeLo Green Composer
Doo-Wops & Hooligans Bruno Mars Composer, multi-instrumentalist
instrumentation
B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray B.o.B Bass, guitar
2009 Malice N Wonderland Snoop Dogg Composer

References

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  1. ^ Roberts, Randall (November 28, 2017). "The mysterious production team Shampoo Press & Curl earns nods for Bruno Mars' 24K Magic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Brody Brown | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Recording Academy (November 23, 2020). "Grammy Award Results for Brody Brown". grammy.com. Retrieved August 2, 2021. BROWN WINS 5 NOMINATIONS 8
  4. ^ a b "Bruno Mars". GRAMMY.com. November 23, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Bacher, Danielle (February 7, 2012). "Brody Brown: From the Compton Crips to the Grammy Stage". LA Weekly. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "GREAT OUTTA COMPTON: MULTITALENTED BRODY BROWN TURNED HIS BACK ON STREETS TO TURN OUT GREAT BEATS". All Access Music. January 5, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "Songwriter Profile: Brody Brown (Bruno Mars, Adele, Mark Ronson)". Music Connection Magazine. March 7, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  8. ^ "1500 or Nothin' Production Collective & Roland Team for Synth-Focused Music Education Collaboration". Billboard. June 17, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  9. ^ LeDonne, Rob (July 10, 2013). "Jeff Bhasker: Music's Go-To Guy". American Songwriter. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  10. ^ Gonzalez, Shivani (April 3, 2022). "Grammys 2022 Winners: The Complete List". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
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