As humans, we mostly work so hard for years to achieve our dreams only to blow it away in a fete of frivolities. Here are excerps from an article on top Hip Hop Producer Scott Storch!!
His Works
A few of Storch’s most popular productions: Beyoncé’s “Naughty Girl” in 2002, Terror Squad’s “Lean Back” in 2003, 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop” in 2004, and Chris Brown’s “Run It” in 2005. All were top five hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Three of them occupied the number one spot for months at a time. “It was like everything we touched was gold,” boasts manager Jackson. “It was like… a fever.”
By 2006, the producer commanded $100,000 per beat plus co-writer royalties and pumped out 80 commercial tracks a year. Rolling Stone estimated his net worth, including the value of his music catalogue, to be $70 million.
His Spending Habits
But Storch’s spending habits could make Robin Leach hyperventilate.
He stocked his garage with at least 13 vehicles, including a $600,000 Mercedes SLR McLaren, a $500,000 Mercedes Maybach, and a $1.7 million black Bugatti Veyron — the most expensive car on the market.
A $3 million 34-carat yellow-diamond pinkie ring crowned his personal jewelry collection, which also included a diamond watch formerly owned by Michael Jackson. He paid $20 million for a 125-foot yacht. And the pièce de résistance: his 2006 purchase of a 18,000-square-foot white-columned Palm Island mansion, dubbed Villa Ferrari, for $10.5 million.
On Women
Storch shuffled through women who were equally expensive. He gave heiress Paris Hilton a Maybach and flew her to the French Riviera via private jet — at a cost of $275,000, according to XXL Magazine — and became full-fledged paparazzi prey by reportedly dating Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian, rapper Lil’ Kim, and porn star Heather Hunt.
On Deception that Money will keep coming
Jackson now admits he was an “enabler” to his friend’s reckless spending: “There were warning signs early that a crash and burn was in the future,” but, Jackson reasoned, as long as Storch kept making hits, he could sustain his purchases.
On Succumbing to Cocaine
Then Storch discovered the ego fertilizer known as cocaine. Soon he was snorting every day, Jackson says. “It started out light, and then it just escalated.”
Begging for Help
Derek Jackson remembers the phone call that told him Storch had finally hit rock bottom. “Listen, man, I messed up bad,” the producer pleaded. “I apologize. Come fix this. Come save my life.”
Over his wife’s protests, Jackson flew to South Florida to meet Storch as he emerged from rehab in May 2009. The producer was doughy and listless from his two-month stint. Twenty-six days later, he declared bankruptcy.
According to papers he filed in court, his net worth stood at -$58,000 — and that didn’t factor in millions of dollars potentially owed due to lawsuit judgments. The bankruptcy was later dismissed after Storch failed to file financial records, and he remains on the hook for every penny of his debt.
Road to Recovery
” Storch began snagging second-tier clients, rappers such as Gucci Mane and Outkast’s Big Boi, who has announced that his next album’s single, titled “Shutter Bug,” will be a Storch track. In February, Storch headed to Los Angeles to work with Dr. Dre onDetox, the megaproducer’s Spruce Goose, in the works for nearly a decade. Jackson says Storch produced the album’s first single.
Now 36, Storch is back where his career began. According to Vanessa Bedillo, he has made good on his child support debt. He has even rekindled his relationship with son Steven, an 18-year-old aspiring producer who plans to study music at the Art Institute in downtown Miami. He spent spring break with Dad in Los Angeles and hopes to intern in Dre’s studio. “He’s become a really proud father,” Vanessa says, adding she has forgiven Scott. “If that man loves anybody besides himself, it’s Steven.”
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Scott Storch raked in hip-hop millions and then snorted his way to ruin.
