Bryan-Michael Cox is a man born of music. It's in his DNA, infused into his birth and his nerves. He has a level of understanding of musical theory and logic that goes far beyond the understanding of the modern "music scholar" and surpasses the knowledge of any experienced teacher of the musical arts. Bryan-Michael Cox is a living legend in his own right and the one who inspires me the most. Born on December 1, 1977 in Miami, FL, Bryan's first musical influence was his mother, Pamela Cox, an instrumentalist who played the flute. It was his love and passion for art that gave him his first taste of the music scene. "When I was little my mother bought music instead of food. We spent her entire salary in the record store." (Cox, 2008) At the age of seven, Bryan revealed his musical aspirations to his mother and she began preparing him for a future life and career in music. They both later moved to Houston, Texas, where Bryan enrolled in the High School for the Performing Arts. During his senior year, Bryan met freshman, Beyoncé Knowles, a young and talented girl who would later become a global megastar. It was with Beyoncé that Bryan created his first demo tape and with a nod of approval from Beyoncé's father, Matthew Knowles, Bryan began his musical journey. Over the years, Bryan made and cultivated friendships that would be essential on his path to musical legend. His childhood best friend, Blue Note Records artist and jazz pianist Robert Glasper, further broadened his musical horizons; introducing him to legendary jazz groups such as Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett. In high school, he met Greg Curtis, a producer who would become his mentor and give him an introduction to music technology. In college, he moved to Atlanta, GA and attended Clark-Atlanta University where he was discovered by Chris Hicks, a record executive and partner at Noontime Records who would become his manager. It is thanks to Hicks that Bryan landed an internship at Noontime Records, where he continued to cultivate his musical talent and in 1999, at the age of 21, he got his first production credit with the song "Get Done" by the Houston band, Ideal. While interning at Noontime, Bryan met two other people who forever shaped him on his musical journey; Jermaine Dupri and Sam Thomas.