Scott Storch: Hit-making music producer behind beats for Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Beyonce, Eminem and many others; rose to riches, lost it all to drug addiction, now in recovery and rebuilding his career.
What this episode covers
Scott Storch traces his path from a self-taught broke teenager in Philly to joining The Roots, then becoming one of the most in-demand hip-hop producers of the 2000s working with Dr. Dre, Beyonce, 50 Cent and more. He speaks candidly about the cocaine addiction and lavish excess (a $100M+ lifestyle, dozens of cars, dating Paris Hilton) that destroyed his fortune. He describes hitting rock bottom, his recovery, and his renewed focus on music after moving out of Miami. The conversation also wanders into health, diet, fame, the dangers of comparison and jealousy, and current events including the Russia-Ukraine war. He closes by showcasing his new artist Abby Stare and his comeback single.
Recommended on this episode
H Factor Hydrogen Water
H Factor
“him and randomly enough my boy who's a big songwriter Poo Bear they're giving a go at this water thing so but I like it it's h factor water”— Scott Storch
CBDmd Freeze
CBDmd
“cbdmd has this product called Freeze it's 3,000 milligrams CBD it's a rollon so if you have like sore muscles it's great I love it”— Joe Rogan
Illmatic
Nas
“Nas you know IL mtic godson that's like one of it's almost like the sergeant peppers A Rapa yeah man oh my God”— Scott Storch
The Heavy Rhyme Experience
The Brand New Heavies
“the Brand New Heavies like the Jazz Band when they they linked up with a bunch of rappers the heavy rhyme experience have you ever heard that album”— Scott Storch
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Gatorade
Gatorade
“do you take um any sort of um electrolytes do you I do I do I mean regularly um Gatorade”— Scott Storch
Liquid IV
Liquid IV
“it's like an accelerator of the hydration like liquid IV or something like that something yeah I don't even know there's a bunch of those that are really good”— Joe Rogan
Blow
Ted Demme
“you've seen the movie Blow and oh yeah you've seen how hot Penelope Cru and do were like in the beginning they like into each other then it just comes”— Joe Rogan
Big reveals from this episode
- Storch left The Roots partly because he felt unappreciated and after a rapper on stage called him a 'white devil'.
- A female friend introduced him to Dr. Dre, who after hearing him play told him to stay in LA long-term, launching his career.
- Storch had over $100 million, won MTV Cribs for best car collection with around 26 cars, and lost it all.
- He owned a house on Indian Creek Island (later bought by Ivanka Trump) outright, bought for cash.
- Paris Hilton showed up at his door to work on music; their relationship spiraled into cocaine and his downfall.
- Storch tried to help DMX get clean, putting him in rehab; DMX later died after a failed detox-to-rehab plan Storch arranged.
- A major film producer (Charles Roven of Atlas Entertainment) is making a biopic of Storch's life.
- At a yacht in St. Barts around 2008, Gaddafi's son arrived by battleship while Storch played Hava Nagila on a keyboard.
Worth remembering
- Storch joined The Roots (then 'Square Roots') as a teenage band member in early-90s Philly.
- He made his signature soulful sound on a vintage Fender Rhodes he bought for about $200 with broken notes.
- His first production clients were Busta Rhymes and Capone-N-Noreaga, landed in his first week shopping in New York.
- Eminem walked in while Storch was at Dre's studio; Storch played keys on early Eminem material.
- J. Cole FaceTimed Storch and flew to Florida the next day to work with him.
- Storch was co-owner of a cannabis-based rehab center in Studio City with Steve Lobel.
- Storch argues cocaine is useless for making music because it scrambles emotions every minute.
- After his recovery, Steve Lobel rebuilt Storch's career by pairing him with then-unknowns like Trippie Redd, A Boogie, Roddy Ricch and Russ.
- Storch produced Beyonce's first solo album, scoring three smashes: Baby Boy, Naughty Girl, and Me Myself and I.
- Storch produced Chris Brown's debut single 'Run It' when Brown was 15-16.