Multi-talented Brandon Rossi started out as a songwriter and producer, signing to Jay-Z's Roc Nation before launching a career as a rapper and singer. Born in 1984 in Decatur, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, he grew up in a family where almost every member was either a preacher or a musician; his cousins played with Frankie Beverly & Maze. He caught the music bug in first grade upon watching the film The Wiz, and listened to hip-hop with his older brother, idolizing Outkast and other rappers in the then-burgeoning Atlanta scene. In high school he chose to pursue music as a career rather than taking the cloth, aiming to emulate the success of his idols. He attended Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, where he was introduced to producer Rico Love, who had worked with Usher. Rossi's early demos were rejected by major labels, so he took time out to hone his skills as a songwriter for other artists. His big break came when he met Bink Dog (Blackstreet, Jay-Z), who took Rossi under his wing and trained him as a producer. Rossi's subsequent work with artists like Mase led to a publishing deal with Roc Nation in 2013, then an artist contract. Preferring quality over quantity, he took his time releasing his own solo material: His debut single "Talk About It" dropped in 2015, with "Miss Me" appearing the following year and "Look at Me" in 2017. His track "I Get It" was used in the soundtrack of the TV show Being Mary Jane. He wrote, produced, and featured on T.I.'s track "40 Acres," from the EP Us or Else, and appeared on two singles by Hustle Gang, "Game 7" and "Friends." ~ John D. Buchanan, Rovi