Bryan-Michael Cox
In 1997, he moved to Atlanta to attend Clark Atlanta University (CAU), where he majored in music. However, the mean reason for his move was to get into the music industry. He looked for opportunities within the music industry. Based on information from a campus brochure, he sought out and obtained an unpaid internship with the Noontime production company, to gain experience and opportunities. His hard work paid off as his affiliation with Noontime led him to work with Jagged Edge, which led to him meeting Jermaine Dupri. Cox's relationship with Dupri soon led to producing and writing for Nivea, Monica, Da Brat and Lil' Bow Wow. Though Cox has since co-written and co-produced an extensive body of work (including Hot 100 #1 hits such as Mariah Carey's "Don't Forget About Us" plus Usher's "Burn," "Confessions, Pt. 2" and "U Got It Bad") and won two Grammy awards (for his work on albums by Carey and Usher), Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" marked his first Hot 100 Top 5 hit without Dupri.