Japhe Tejeda was an American singer, songwriter, and producer, best known for co-writing "Don't Wanna Be a Player" and "The Boy Is Mine", as well as other various work with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and his brother Fred Jerkins III.[1][2][3][4] Tejeda, alongside friends Jermaine Paul, Danny Martinez, and Charles Paul, were former members of the R&B vocal quartet 1 Accord, one of the first signees on Shaquille O'Neal's short-lived The World Is Mine (T.W.IsM.) imprint in collaboration with A&M Records.[5][6][7]

Japhe Tejeda
Born
Alma materUniversity at Albany, SUNY
Musical career
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • producer
Labels

Career edit

1990s: 1 Accord and songwriting edit

Tejeda and Charles Paul both attended University at Albany, SUNY in the early 1990s, and formed 1 Accord after recruiting Paul's younger brother Jermaine, performing at local Albany talent shows, coffeehouses, and live music venues in New York City.[8] By the time Jermaine had graduated from high school in 1996, and Martinez was added to the group, their demo had landed the group a recording contract with Shaquille O’Neal’s label.[8] After signing with O’Neal and building a relationship with producer Rodney Jerkins, the group was asked to contribute to the soundtrack of Jamie Foxx film Booty Call, as well as other film soundtracks, label compilations, unofficial radio DJ mixtapes, and the debut album of Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz. 1 Accord's 1996 debut album The New Era, executive-produced by Jerkins, was shelved in 1997 after numerous delays, leading Tejeda to move further into songwriting. The group disbanded, and Tejeda would subsequently join Jerkins' camp of songwriters, first appearing as a background vocalist on Jerkins' singles for Simone Hines and Jason Weaver, and then co-writing notable Jerkins productions including "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" from Aaliyah album One in a Million, more than fifty percent of the 1997 debut album for Michael Jackson-signed boyband No Authority, Top 30 Joe single "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and 13-week Brandy/Monica number-one single "The Boy Is Mine", earning Tejeda an ASCAP Pop Award and a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999.[9][2][10] Tejeda subsequently appeared as a co-writer on multiple Jerkins-produced albums in 1998, including blockbuster album Never Say Never, as well as albums KW and 'Bout It. Both hit singles Tejada co-wrote have been sampled on multiple singles by other artists, charting internationally.

Songwriting and production credits edit

Title Year Artist Album
"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" 1996 Aaliyah One in a Million
"You Got Me Goin'" II D Extreme From I Extreme II Another
"Don't Wanna Be a Player" 1997 Joe All That I Am
"Don't Stop" No Authority Keep On
"Up And Down"
"Girlfriend"
"Please Don't Break My Heart"
"If You Want Me"
"Never Let You Go"
"The Boy Is Mine" 1998 Brandy & Monica Never Say Never & The Boy Is Mine
"Never Say Never" Brandy Never Say Never
"Put That on Everything"
"Happy"
"Tomorrow"
"I Warned You" Keith Washington KW
"Tell Me (Are You with It)"
"You Let Me Down"
"Are You Missin' My Love?" Jesse Powell 'Bout It
"Up and Down"
"Oogie Boogie" MC Lyte Seven & Seven
"Girlfriend" 1999 No Authority What I Wanna Do
"It's Mine" Mobb Deep Murda Muzik
"Still Not A Player" (Featuring Joe) 2001 Big Pun Endangered Species
"Don't Leave" 2005 N2U Issues
"The Girl Is Mine" (Featuring Destiny's Child & Brandy) [11] 2015 99 Souls Non-album single
"Right Back" (Featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie) [12] 2019 Khalid Free Spirit
"Playa" (Featuring H.E.R.) 2022 A Boogie wit da Hoodie Me vs. Myself
"Bionic Boy" Jamie Jones Non-album single
"Mine" Tink Pillow Talk
"Need Me" 2023 Lil Tecca Tec

Guest & miscellaneous vocal appearances edit

List of guest appearances as a member of 1 Accord and/or with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other performer(s) Album
"Don't Wanna Be Alone" 1996 1 Accord, Shaquille O'Neal You Can't Stop the Reign
"Stay With Me (LP Version)" Jason Weaver & Horace Brown Stay With Me (Shelved)
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" 1997 Simone Hines Simone Hines
"A Dream" Mary J. Blige, 1 Accord, Darkchild Choir Money Talks: The Album
"Don't Stop, Don't Quit" 1 Accord Booty Call: The Soundtrack
"Shortie Girl" 1 Accord, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz The New Era (Shelved)
"River (Interlude)" 1998 1 Accord, Shaquille O'Neal Respect
"Startin' Somethin'" 1 Accord, Chauncey Black, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz Make It Reign
"A Night in the Bronx With Lord & Gunz" 1 Accord, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz
"My Time to Go" 1 Accord, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz
"Ooh Ooh Baby" 2000 1 Accord, DJ Capone The Cartel Compilation Mixtape

Awards and nominations edit

Year Ceremony Award Result Ref
1999 41st Annual Grammy Awards Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (The Boy Is Mine) Nominated [13][14]
ASCAP Pop Awards Most Performed Songs (The Boy Is Mine) Won [15]

References edit

  1. ^ "Brandy & Monica - the Boy is Mine". Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Songwriters & Publishers: No.1 Song Credits". Billboard. June 27, 1998. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "Herstory 21: Why Brandy & Monica "The Boy is Mine" Still Triggers Nostalgia". January 14, 2019. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  5. ^ "Shaq Signs Record Deal With A&M". AP News. February 10, 1998. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  6. ^ Chrysanthe, Eva (November 19, 1995). "Bronxdale Housing Project". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  7. ^ Sandler, Adam (February 9, 1998). "Shaq signs with A&M Records". Variety. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Henry, Elisa (October 8, 2012). "Jermaine Paul Emerges as the Front Man". SUCCESS. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  9. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  10. ^ "Coming Of Age: 20 Songs Turning 20 In 2018". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  11. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  13. ^ "Japhe Tejeda - Artist". GRAMMY.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  14. ^ "More Grammy Awards nominees". January 6, 1999. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  15. ^ Newman, Melinda (May 29, 1999). "Warren Big ASCAP Winner". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Google Books.