Renowned producer and songwriter Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins has been a transformative force in the music industry, shaping the sounds of iconic artists like Brandy, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. In a recent interview with EBONY, Jerkins delved into his creative process, collaborations and the enduring impact of his work.
Jerkins begins his mornings with family devotionals, setting a spiritual tone for the day before heading to the studio. There, he immerses himself in crafting new music, always aiming to stay ahead of the curve. “I’m in the lab, creating and trying to see what I can come up with that’s next, whether it’s for next year or the year after, always trying to get ahead,” he shared.
Throughout his career, Jerkins has been instrumental in pivotal transitions for artists like Toni Braxton, Beyoncé, Brandy, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson. He strives to take artists to places they’ve never been, pushing them to evolve. “You never meet an artist where they were previously. You want to be ahead, getting them to go to a place they’ve never been,” he explained.
Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins’ influence extends far beyond his chart-topping hits. His work on Full Moon, Brandy’s 2002 opus, remains a pivotal landmark in R&B, ushering in the darker, moodier sonic textures that would define the genre’s evolution. The album’s intricate vocal production, atmospheric synths, and progressive arrangements laid the groundwork for the alternative R&B movement that flourished in the 2010s.
Artists like Jhené Aiko, Frank Ocean, Miguel and The Weeknd built upon Full Moon’s blueprint, fusing vulnerability with sonic experimentation in a way that now feels standard. Jerkins’ ability to push artists into new creative territory while maintaining commercial appeal has cemented his legacy—not just as a hitmaker but as a visionary who helped shape the future of modern R&B.
Reflecting on his recent induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Jerkins expressed humility and gratitude. He finds it surreal to be mentioned alongside legends he admires, acknowledging the honor while remaining focused on future creations.
Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins’ journey exemplifies a blend of innovation, adaptability, and deep respect for music’s evolving landscape. His ability to connect with artists and audiences alike ensures his continued influence in shaping the sounds of tomorrow.
EBONY: You’re being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. How does it feel to be among people you’ve admired for years and be cemented in history for dedicating your life to music?
Darkchild: It’s amazing. I’m humbled. To be mentioned alongside people I look up to—like Michael McDonald in the same year as me—is crazy. It hasn’t fully registered yet. Probably will when I’m actually [at the induction ceremony]. I’m blessed to have this career, but I never get caught up in just yesterday or today. I keep creating for tomorrow.
When you’re in the studio, is it more around having a defined project that you’re working toward, or is it expressing yourself naturally and then if something makes sense, you save it for the right project or the right artist?
Sometimes I’ll just create off the whim and then I’ll think of different artists that it feels like it could work for. Sometimes, it might get pushed to the back burner for a year, two, three, four years. It just depends. I may bring it out later on and be like, ‘Yo, now’s the time for it.’
There’s always this talk with artists, producers, and songwriters where a song will come out, and you find out who produced it. The artist says, ‘Hey, why did you even send me that song?’ Or ‘Why am I just hearing about it?’ How do you navigate that?
A lot of times, we have so many songs. A producer will work on probably 300 ideas, over 300 ideas in a year. You can imagine, you’re not putting 300 songs out in a year, so a lot of that stuff, as you accumulate it, you’re not even thinking about it. Sometimes, I have to be reminded. I was actually playing something last night that I did in 2015 because my son was like, ‘you gotta put somebody on that.’
I’m like, that’s seven years old for me, but it still sounds current. You just never know, man. You accumulate thousands and thousands of beats. It’s hard to remember what you did when you did it, etc.
Choreographer, Sean Bankhead, mentioned that pop artist, Tate McCray, is kind of entering her “Darkchild era.” What does that mean to you when you hear your music referenced in such a definitive way?
That means you tell them to call me [laughs]. A lot of artists of today are inspired by things they’ve heard, but most of it is to come to the authentic source of it.
That’s why I loved when I worked with SZA for example, SZA was telling me she was inspired by things that I did. She could’ve had someone try to come up with ideas that sounded like that, and I’m sure it would’ve still been pretty cool. It would’ve done well, but she wanted to come to the source that does it. Tate McCray and your choreographer, come on through, come out to the studio and listen. Let’s make something.
You’ve been known to transition artists from one sound to another. When we think of Toni Braxton, Brandy, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, we see that they all had times in their career when they were transitioning through their sounds and even transitions in their personal lives. How do you connect with who they were, who they are in that moment, and who they want to be?
I’m always trying to think of where I think they should go. You never meet an artist where they were previously as a producer, as a songwriter. You want to be ahead of getting them to go to a place they’ve never been. That’s the whole point of evolving and coming up with new things, right? New ideas, new sounds. That’s how I treat it. When I work with artists, I’m always thinking, okay, if we’re in 2025, the music may not get heard until 2026 if I work with a specific artist. I have to think a little bit differently, and I’m just an assistant to the artist, trying to put them in the best position possible.
Going into some of those specific examples, I think about Toni Braxton and how she had such a departure from her earlier music to then when she worked with you on The Heat, and the lead single “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” which turns 25 this year. That song has gone on to be sampled by artists like Burna Boy with “Last Last.” How does it feel to see your music take different forms via sampling? And what is your relationship with letting the music go in a sense?
I love it, ’cause that’s part of the legacy of it all, right? You had a song that did really well that people admired so much that they’re willing to sample it and put it into a new light. The Bible says there’s nothing new under the sun anyway, right? Taking something that existed and reimagining it in a new way, I love that. I love that it can happen over and over again. That’s what makes music timeless, right? That’s what makes it keep reaching the masses and the next generation, right? Because there’s a generation that didn’t experience Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough.”
Knowing that Afrobeats has become global, what’s your opinion or thoughts on it as it’s permeated every corner of music?
I love it. I actually have a whole Darkchild Africa project that I’m working on. It’s literally paying homage to the sound of Africa and Afrobeats and Amapiano. I love it all. I’ve been working a little over a year and a half, two years on this project that I hope can get out maybe at the end of this year. It’s pretty dope.
You worked with Whitney Houston, specifically on “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay,” as well as that whole project. What are some of your fondest memories of working with her?
Man, I miss Whitney so much. I really do. She was one of the artists I started out with early on, and we became friends. She even sang at my dad’s church in New Jersey. Working with her was a task because when I was 16 or 17, I had a meeting with Clive Davis to present music for Whitney, and he shot it down. Told me to keep writing, keep trying.
A couple years later, I came back with “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay”, “If I Told You That,” “Get It Back” played it for Whitney, and she loved it. That was a highlight for me in the early part of my career—actually getting to work with Whitney Houston. It was exactly what I signed up for.
You collaborated with Lady Gaga at the beginning of her career. Nobody was sounding like her, and she was incorporating urban and pop elements. Are you ever surprised by how far an artist goes after you’ve worked with them.
No, especially not somebody like Lady Gaga, who was super confident. She told me how she was gonna change pop music. When we first worked together, we were writing for other artists, but she already knew what she wanted to do as a pop artist. She saw the void. She went after it. That confidence made it easy for me as a producer to find her sound. When both of you are after the same goal—making something special—it all lines up.
I also think about someone like Brandy, who was still in a formative chapter of her career when she released Full Moon, one of my favorite R&B albums. What was your headspace creating that album, and how does it feel to see it have the legacy it does now, inspiring entire generations of artists like The Weeknd, Jhené Aiko and more?
When you’re in it, you’re just trying to make something memorable. You don’t realize 10, 15, 20 years later people will still talk about it. All those artists you mentioned have told me that’s their favorite album. It’s amazing to think about those moments of creativity. We were trying new sounds, new textures with her voice.
I was working with Michael Jackson on Invincible at the same time, so it all bled together. I remember driving around listening to the finished album and thinking, “We did this.” I knew it was special then, and I still feel that way. I can turn it on now and smile. Brandy’s vocals were flawless, and everyone was at the top of their game. You’re gonna get a knockout.
You’ve also had a huge impact on how producers brand themselves—your “Darkchild” tag is one of the most recognized. How does it feel to also fellow producers and writers to establish their own brand?
That was purposeful. When I was doing the Darkchild tag, it was just part of the record, and it happened to be on several back-to-back hits. Now artists walk in the booth saying “Darkchild” on their own. I don’t even have to do it anymore.
Could you give some insight into this next phase, focusing on your own interests, like Darkchild music and albums as the artist-producer, or other mediums of expression?
Right now, I’m really focused on a Christian division of my company, a Christian hip-hop label called Aliens Alive. That’s where most of my focus is. It’s full circle for me. People who know my story know I rapped on Kirk Franklin’s “Revolution” in ’98. So, this is a full-circle moment.
You can learn more about the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the 2025 Induction & Award Gala at songhall.org
