Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter.
He started off as a keyboardist for the group
the Roots
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimm ...
.
Early life
Storch was born on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ' ...
.
He was raised in
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of t ...
and
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...
. His mother, Joyce Yolanda Storch, was a singer signed to Philadelphia's
Cameo-Parkway Records under the stage name Joyce Carol, and is of
Lithuanian Jewish heritage.
His father, Phil Storch, was a court reporter.
His uncle, Jeremy Storch, was a founder of soul-rock band
the Vagrants and wrote songs recorded by
Dave Mason and
Eddie Money.
Storch's parents divorced in 1983.
Storch attended elementary school in Sunrise and middle school in
Davie, Florida. In the middle of his freshman year, he left South Florida to join his father in the Philadelphia area, and attended high school in
Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
After dropping out of high school in the ninth grade, Storch was expelled from home at the age of 16.
By age 18, he was living with his father in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Some publications have written that Storch was born in Canada,
but in 2010 the ''Miami New Times'' wrote a denial under the title "Scott Storch is not Canadian."
Career
Scott Storch began his professional music career in 1991, when he became one of the first members of the hip hop group
the Roots
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimm ...
as a keyboard player. He was heavily involved in the following two albums released by the Roots: ''
Organix'' and ''
Do You Want More?!!!??!'' and had involvement in ''
Illadelph Halflife''. Storch, however, had a distaste towards touring and preferred creating in the studio and decided upon becoming a music producer in his own right.
Storch's first two commercial hits were from the production on the track "
You Got Me" by the Roots ft.
Erykah Badu and
Eve and his collaboration with
Dr. Dre for the song "
Still D.R.E.". He produced "
Lean Back", a 2004 single by
Terror Squad. He was one of the top producers in the business, having worked on hits by
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
,
the Game,
T.I.,
Chris Brown
Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...
,
Christina Aguilera,
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
,
Dr. Dre,
Nas,
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...
,
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
,
Lil' Kim and many others.
Storch was also awarded
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
's Songwriter of the Year award in 2006.
He produces
hip hop music through his label, Storch Music Company. He also had his own music production company called Tuff Jew Productions LLC which is published by Reservoir Media Management.
Since filing for bankruptcy in 2015, he decided to focus on music and lay off drugs. Since then, he has worked with
DJ Khaled,
the Game,
Berner,
Russ,
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Crim Dela Crim, and more.
Personal life
By 2006, Storch was worth more than $70 million. His son was born April 16, 2006, with his part-time girlfriend of seven years Dalene “Daedreams” Daniel. He picked up a
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
addiction.
In August 2006, he "took a month off" and vacationed in
Hollywood,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. Friend and manager Derek Jackson said, "It was just a wonderful year, but I think it was defined by the magic month of August. He ran into the Hollywood class and when he went to Hollywood, all things changed."
He withdrew from producing and focused on partying with friends at his $10 million mansion in
Palm Island, Florida. He also 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.
[ Storch squandered $30 million in less than six months, and was in dire financial straits by January 2007.]
In 2008, Storch hit legal trouble after reportedly falling behind on both his child-support payments and his property taxes. In early 2009, he was arrested for motor vehicle theft for allegedly failing to return a Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, Nort ...
he had leased three years prior. In April 2009, Storch checked into an intensive inpatient rehab program in Hollywood, Florida, and filed for bankruptcy that May. In February 2012, Storch was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
for possession of cocaine and was released on bail. On June 24, 2015, Storch officially filed for bankruptcy.
Production discography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Storch, Scott
1973 births
Living people
American hip hop record producers
American music industry executives
American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
American pop keyboardists
American pop pianists
American male pianists
American rhythm and blues keyboardists
Businesspeople from Florida
Businesspeople from New Jersey
Businesspeople from Pennsylvania
Interscope Records artists
Jewish American musicians
Musicians from Florida
Musicians from New Jersey
Musicians from New York (state)
Musicians from Philadelphia
Nova High School alumni
People from Davie, Florida
People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania
People from Cherry Hill, New Jersey
People from Long Island
The Roots members
Record producers from Pennsylvania
21st-century American keyboardists