Japhe Tejeda was an American singer, songwriter, and producer, best known for co-writing "

Don't Wanna Be a Player "Don't Wanna Be a Player" is a song by the American R&B singer Joe. It was written by Joe, Japhe Tejeda, Jolyon Skinner, Michele Williams and Rodney Jerkins, and produced by the latter for Joe's second studio album '' All That I Am'' (1997). Rele ...

" and " The Boy Is Mine", as well as other various work with

Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), better known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won two Grammy Awards from 19 nomi ...

and his brother

Fred Jerkins III Fred Jerkins III, also known as Uncle Freddie, is an American songwriter and record producer. Career Jerkins is best known for his work with his brother Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins has co-written several hit songs with Rodney Jerkins a ...

. Tejeda, alongside friends

Jermaine Paul Jeremiah Jermaine Paul (born July 26, 1979) is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is best known for his backing vocals on Alicia Keys' singles "Diary", "Unbreakable", and her cover of Marvin Gaye's "If This World Were Mine". The former of wh ...

, 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 Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

's short-lived The World Is Mine (T.W.IsM.) imprint in collaboration with

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

Career

1990s: ''1 Accord'' and songwriting

Tejeda and Charles Paul both attended

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany (University at Albany, UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) is a Public university, public research university in Albany, New York, United States. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the St ...

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. 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. 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 Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...

film ''

Booty Call ''Booty Call'' is a 1997 American buddy comedy film directed by Jeff Pollack, and written by J. Stanford Parker (credited as Bootsie) and Takashi Bufford. The film stars Tommy Davidson, Jamie Foxx, Vivica A. Fox, and Tamala Jones. Plot Rusho ...

'', as well as other film soundtracks, label compilations, unofficial radio DJ mixtapes, and the debut album of

Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz were an American hip hop duo, composed of rappers Sean "Lord Tariq" Hamilton and Peter "Peter Gunz" Pankey, from The Bronx, New York. They are best known for their 1997 single " Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)", which reached th ...

. 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 Jason Michael Weaver (born July 18, 1979) is an American actor and singer best known for his roles as Marcus Henderson on The WB sitcom '' Smart Guy,'' Jerome Turrell on the short-lived sitcom '' Thea'' from 1993 to 1994, and the preteen Micha ...

, 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 Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

-signed boyband No Authority, Top 30 Joe single "

", and 13-week

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

/ Monica number-one single " The Boy Is Mine", earning Tejeda an ASCAP Pop Award and a Grammy nomination for

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record five times, while Ba ...

at the

41st Annual Grammy Awards The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, recognizing musical achievements from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill led the ceremony with a record-breaking 10 nominations, becoming the first woman ...

in 1999. Tejeda subsequently appeared as a co-writer on multiple Jerkins-produced albums in 1998, including blockbuster album ''

Never Say Never Never Say Never may refer to: Music * Never Say Never Festival, an annual music festival in Texas, U.S. Albums * ''Never Say Never'' (Alias album), 2009 * ''Never Say Never'' (Brandy album), 1998 * ''Never Say Never'' (Ian McLagan album) ...

'', 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

Guest & miscellaneous vocal appearances

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tejeda, Japhe 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American male singers African-American songwriters American male singer-songwriters American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Songwriters from New York (state)