It was totally insane. I would have Chita Rivera over at the house for lunch with my mom, and then take a dance class with Ann Reinking later that day.

Both my parents were entertainers, and both their families came from a long line of entertainers. My mom's brother was a violist for the NY Philharmonic for decades, as well as a concert instructor at The Julliard School. My dad's parents were also in the Arts, but from the theatrical dancing side. Cyd Charisse was my Great Aunt and sister to my Grandmother Nanette Charisse, who was a very well known Ballet Mistress. She taught the likes of Bob Fosse, among many others. Like I said… Nuts, but in a good way.

You're a producer now, but started out as a rapper who happened to get a gig on "Yo, MTV Raps." But that was only through break dancing, which you took up when you dropped out of high school. What was going on in your mind when those changes were occurring?

I started to get into hip-hop and break dancing at thirteen. The year was 1983, and hip-hop was not yet the pop monster it was about to become. I was fortunate enough to meet some breakers from The New York City Breakers and other crews. They kind of took me in. I would throw on my burgundy Lee's and my shell top Adidas, and hop on the 3rd Avenue bus at 62nd Street. I'd go up to 116th Street where all my new friends would meet me. There weren't many 13/14 year old white kids up in Harlem those days. I got immersed into the hip hop culture: dancing, rapping and hanging out uptown. I was still in high school, but started to think of my career path as a recording artist. When my principal said I wouldn't graduate with my senior class, I basically emptied out my locker, and went home and told my dad that I needed six months to chase my dream. If I failed I would go back and finish high school. Three months into my quest I got my first record deal with Crysalis Records and never looked back. In that record deal, I was part of the group The Next School.

It seems like you reinvented yourself as an artist many times and with many different groups. Just how many record deals did you have before you made the switch from solo artist to writer/producer?

Right from the beginning I was always writing and producing my own music. It wasn't until I really saw the vision of music in Hollywood that I gave up on the "artist quest." I saw the record biz freefalling into disaster, so I had no choice but to find a new arena to write and produce music. All my peers in the record biz thought I was nuts.

As for my record deals, from 1990 to 2001 I had five major recording deals as an artist: Chrysalis Records, EMI Records, A&M, Hollywood Records and RCA. Phew!

Once you had your publishing company set up and were poised to be a writer/producer, how you did you start getting placements?

In 2002, when I started to understand the concept of writing and producing music for Film and TV, I literally went and got the Yellow Pages of music buyers in Hollywood; it was everyone from music supervisors (both independent and studio) to production companies to producers and directors. I cold called everyone. I was Monte Hall "Let's Make a Deal!" I finally got a call for four tracks for Big Fat Liar at 11:30 PM NY time, but they were due first thing in the morning LA time. That was the start of everything. Big Fat Liar, American Pie 2, and Pleasantville were some of my first placements.

You won an AMA for the soundtrack to Alvin and the Chipmunks, beating out the soundtrack to Mamma Mia! How did that feel?

I almost exploded into a cloud of dust! It was the end of fifteen years of being told I couldn't make it in the record business, and the beginning of finally feeling vindicated and acknowledged among my peers.

Everything is done in-house at DeeTown: instruments, vocals, effects and production are all taken care of by the staff. Can you walk us through a project from start to finish?

1. Phone call from studio exec, music supervisor, or director with the mission.
2. I vibe on it alone and come up with the direction.
3. I choose who I think in the DeeTown crew is best to start the project and we sit down and go over the creative direction, vibe etc.
4. They'll start composing based on the vibe.
5. Once stage one is done, we dish it off to another DeeTowner for them to add their flavor. This could be top line, guitars, synths, etc.
6. Once that's all done, it goes to one of our vocalists.
7. Then everything is tightened on the track (tuning vocals, editing parts like guitars, bass, etc.)
8. The final stage is the mix.
9. SUCCESS!

What about mastering?

When we mix, we master at the same time. We try to keep everything in-house if possible.

It sounds like a DeeTowner does their part, and then passes it off to another DeeTowner to add theirs.

Once a DeeTowner has completed their section, the song goes to the next person to work on. The DeeTowners don't actually collaborate together… well not directly at least. They work in parts, and when they are finished, I'll put the "Dee" on it. Then it's out the door.

How long does the entire process take?

It really depends on each job, but anywhere from an hour to a couple days, depending on each track and what revisions they want. We get stuff done really fast here.

What happens if you get stumped and don't know what to write?

We don't; that just doesn't happen. We just go in guns blazing to do the tracks. Each DeeTowner has their own specialty, which they put on each track, but all of us have a certain vibe which lets us work seamlessly together.

Most of the music placement scene for Hollywood is out in LA. Do you have a DeeTown LA Team?

We actually don't have any LA counterparts that are with DeeTown. We interact on a daily basis with the film studios, music supervisors, producers and directors.

How does this complicate/enhance the process of getting placements?

Our relationship with the music supervisors enhances the placements. When they need something they call us directly… directors too.

DeeTown is a complete production house with the capability to write, record, and produce an entire soundtrack. How does that make you feel when you look back on the deal you brokered with your dad?

I'm blessed, and so are my fellow DeeTowners. We get to do what we love, and it pays the bills. This is way better than any other job I can think of.

What advice can you offer to writers who are looking for their break into composing for movies?

Stay focused, be humble, be diverse, and be damn good. There is a lot of competition in this business.

How do iZotope products help you when composing for movies?

You guys have a wide variety of applications when it comes to "tweaking" a track. I use iZotope Vinyl all the time for creating that authentic vintage mix, applying effects on the drums, or dirtying up a bass. Trash filters are amazing on dance tracks, and the distortion is insane. I know I can rely on iZotope to get that "sound" I'm looking for… whatever it may be.

What's next for DeeTown? Any projects in the pipeline we can talk about?

Muppets, Alvin 3, and Big Momma's House 3… but that's all I can say :)

For more information on DeeTown, visit their MySpace.