Despite their name, this songwriting and production team are overachieving their way to the top of the charts

By Paul Zollo

The Underdogs

"Songwriting and production go hand in hand," said Harvey Mason, one half of the musical team known as The Underdogs. "But I think without a great lyric and a great song, it doesn't matter how good the production is. Yet as far as urban hip-hop and R&B, production is equally important because of the fact that it has to sound right on radio, and it has to sound right in the clubs."

With his partner, Damon Thomas, The Underdogs have written and produced hit records for a wide array of artists, both established and new. They have worked with greats like Luther Vandross, but also with newcomers such as Kelly Clarkson. Other artists to come under the Underdog umbrella include Ruben Studdard, J-Lo, Brandy, Justin Timberlake and Toni Braxton.

The Underdogs have recently been offered their own label by Clive Davis, who has also launched two producer-led labels, Bad Boy (P. Diddy) and La Face (Babyface). Running their own record company has introduced some new pressure in their careers. "[The label] was given to us by Clive ," said Mason, "who has a history of breaking producer's labels wide open, like La Face and Bad Boy. We want to make sure we live up to that. It's not easy finding talent of that caliber." Their first release will be an album by a New Orleans duo called Luke & Q. "Their record is incredible," said Mason.

"We don't want to do the same thing over and over again. We try to keep it fresh." -Harvey Mason

Part of the key to their tremendous success is that The Underdogs craft their songs specifically for the artists with which they work. "We always concentrate on the artist," Mason said. "Generally we like to meet the person, talk to them, listen to some other songs, and really get to know their personality and get to know them as an artist, before we try to plug a song into them. We like to tailor the songs to them, what they are going through in their lives at the time."

Mason feels that their production style is recognizable from record to record. "I do think we have tendencies in our records that people can tell they're ours. Hopefully, one of the qualities of our records is that they are all good musical records and they stand out on the radio, as opposed to someone who just puts down a drum beat and sings over it. But we also like to keep things fresh, introduce new ideas and put different things into our productions as time goes by. We don't want to do the same thing over and over again."

There's a vast difference for Mason and Thomas when working with established artists as opposed to newcomers, such as those from American Idol. "Established artists know what they should sound like and what they should be talking about," said Mason. "And you have a history to look back on and decide what to do, based on what they've done already. With new artists, you have to help guide and mold them. They have no history, so you have to create a vision for them. Established artists come in with preconceptions of how they want to work. New artists don't have that, so you're showing them ways to work."

The Underdogs have worked with artists who want to have explicit input into every track, while others are content to let their music be made for them. "Some artists want you to tell them what to do, and they do it," said Mason. "It depends on their personality and how involved they like to be. There will be times we do tracks when the artists want to be involved in everything -- the chord progressions, the melody, what the lyrics say, even where the bridge goes. And there are other times when the artists want to hear what we write for them and they say, 'Great, lets do it.'"

Part of the key to their success is that The Underdogs are wise to what is hot on radio. "You have to make sure it fits that radio format," said Mason. "It's competitive - we want to beat out what's on the radio. We study the radio, and try to do it better than them, or try to push it farther, or flip it, so it sounds original but better."

They are hit makers, but they are doing more. They are coming to the aid of their community with an organization called Inner Cities Industry, for which they are teaching disadvantaged youths about music production, and giving them hope that there is a world beyond poverty and oppression. "One of the aspects of what we are doing is to introduce kids to the music industry. We bring kids into the studio and let them record things. We give them tracks to write to, and develop talent in kids who otherwise might not be exposed to these kind of things. We're trying to show them the ropes and give them some knowledge about something they might want to get into."

As successful as they are, they still feel "The Underdogs" is an appropriate name for their team. Said Mason, "I still think there's a lot for us to accomplish. We're still scratching and fighting to make great music, and to leave a mark on the industry."