Between writing songs for artists like Justin Bieber, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna and releasing solo material like his brand-new “Internet album,” “1977,” Terius Nash, aka The-Dream, has stayed incredibly productive over the past few years. The producer/songwriter tells Billboard.com that his good friends Jay-Z and Beyonce stay just as busy as he does — which is why he’s overjoyed that the couple is expecting their first child.
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“They’re ecstatic, as well as they should be,” says The-Dream of Jay-Z and Beyonce, who announced her pregnancy at the MTV Video Music Awards. “I love it for them because they work so hard. To start a family after you’ve worked so hard is great. It’s great for her to be at a certain place in their life where she can say, ‘Okay, cool. I’ve killed it for this many years, but let me do this.'”
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After receiving writing credits on five songs for Beyonce’s fourth studio album, “4,” including the singles “Run the World (Girls)” and “1+1,” The-Dream issued “1977” last Wednesday (Aug. 31) as a way to tide over his fans before the release of his delayed fourth album, “The Love, IV (Diary of a Mad Man).” While The-Dream still hopes to have “The Love, IV” out by the end of the year, he says that the album probably won’t feature a huge guest list like originally planned.
“The truth is the label needs those people on the album,” says The-Dream, who said in February that he hoped to recruit Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Mary J. Blige for the album. “Those features are mentioned to give the label, at any point in time, a better security about something, especially when they don’t believe in the artist like they should.”
The-Dream Talks ‘1977,’ Public Heartbreak and His Def Jam Future
Nevertheless, The-Dream will be working with plenty of artists as a producer and songwriter later this year. “I’m working on the Pusha T and Fabolous [albums] of course,” he says. “I’ve already talked about getting in with Gwen [Stefani] and the guys, No Doubt. I’m anxiously waiting to see what Mariah [Carey] is ready to do, and when she’s willing.”
The-Dream also says that he’s about to hit the studio with two other superstar producers, Timbaland and Pharrell Williams; the latter is featured on the “1977” track, “Real.” “I’ll always look up to them,” says The-Dream. “So you know, [we’re] just going to try to go in and make something magical happen.”