Deputy Talks Production Work with Rihanna, Selena Gomez, and Victoria Monét

When the nominations for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards were revealed in November 2023, producer Deputy was in a deep sleep. Although his phone was incessantly ringing that morning, he assumed it could wait until he officially woke up. Recounting the experience over the phone with Complex, he mentioned, "I didn't know the nominations were even happening that morning." He continued, "So this particular morning, my phone starts ringing off the hook, but I'm still asleep, and [I’m thinking] there's no reason for me to answer this phone right now, because I know it is not that serious."

It turned out to be indeed that serious. Deputy received nominations in two categories: Best R&B Song and Record of the Year for his production on Victoria Monét’s hit single “On My Mama.” Reflecting on the overwhelming flood of congratulatory texts, calls, and Instagram messages, he says, "It was an amazing surprise because, again, I didn't go to sleep thinking or knowing that the nominations were coming out tomorrow morning."

Victoria Monét's "On My Mama" stands out as one of the defining singles of 2023. The song peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnered critical acclaim for Monét's outstanding delivery, the distinctive sampling approach of Chalie Boy’s single of the same name, and its uplifting message. Deputy emphasizes that the song's success is attributed to its skillful blend of “familiarity with the unknown.”

Despite having spent nearly a decade in the music industry with production credits that include notable tracks like Rihanna’s 2015 hit “Bitch Better Have My Money” and J. Cole’s 2016 platinum album, 4 Your Eyez Only, Deputy confesses that he hasn't taken the time to truly appreciate his successes. Reflecting on his past experiences, Deputy recalls his focus on constantly pursuing the next song, even during moments of praise for his achievements. “The Rihanna moment for me, I was so focused on getting the next song… People would congratulate me and rave about the song and the achievement. But in my mind, I would accept it, but I wouldn't allow myself to live in the moment because I'm like, ‘No, I'm not gonna get caught here. I gotta get to the next song,’” the New York–bred producer explains. 

Now, in light of his recent Grammy nominations and overall success, he’s been making a conscious effort to savor the moment. “This time around, it's like, that next song might not happen, bro. It's not guaranteed… So I'm enjoying this moment because I did it; I'm a part of it, and I should celebrate myself and the hard work and the process and all the sacrifices that we've placed into our craft to be in this position.” 

Deputy has a lot more to celebrate than just awards season though. He discloses that he is already in the process of creating new music with Coco Jones, Selena Gomez, and even Rihanna. Confirming Rihanna’s highly anticipated comeback, he says, “I've been sending [beats] out and have been getting good feedback. So the process has started for sure with getting new music out for Rihanna to listen to. I'm just crossing my fingers that we all are going to get some amazing music from Rihanna in the near future, man.”

Check out the full interview with Deputy as he breaks down the process of creating “On My Mama,” collaborating with Rihanna, and other career highlights.

Do you remember the moment you first fell in love with the process of creating music? 
It was probably [when I made] one of my first beats. At that time, I was interning at a record label, just trying to make connections. So I'm in the office, and I played it for one person in the office, and then they played it for somebody else. And then before you know it, I'm on the A&R floor playing it for A&R. That kind of opened my eyes to the possibility of a career and what could be. Prior to that, I had relied on my brother's opinion to let me know whether it was wack or not. And close friends. But interning at that label, and having access to other people who were actually a part of the process of making songs and getting songs out there, it changed my whole view. 

How did you get the name Deputy? 
I wish it was an amazing story. So when I first started, I'm a big Neptune fan. Pharrell and Chad Hugo were a big part of the reason why I chose to produce. I met another producer, and I came up with the name The Deputies. That was the original name, but at that time, he was way more advanced than I was in terms of his skill and his experience. So I kind of got the sense that I was holding him back. He entertained my idea of being a production duo until I guess he couldn't take it anymore. I don't want to say I was latching on to him, but [I was] still finding my way around music production. Basically, I didn't feel like he needed me. So I went my way, and I kept the name Deputy. 

What would you say was the turning point for your career? 
The turning point in my career, I would say, is when I mentally started changing how I viewed the industry. What I mean by that is understanding that you got to fall in love with the journey and not the process. Understanding that you can’t really control anything, and once it’s out of your hands, it’s on the universe and the powers that be to make whatever happen, happen. I can’t control when someone hears my song. I can’t control their mood; I can’t control who’s in the room. I can't control if there's, if the song is connecting to them with what they're going through. You know, there's so many different variables that I have no control over. Prior to having that understanding, I would get frustrated with things not progressing. And that frustration would lead me into a dark place. Or they would say, “Yo, this song is about to go crazy. Beyoncé is going to cut this song.” And then it doesn't happen. And I've been led [on] this amazing roller coaster to think that something's gonna happen, and here comes a crazy drop of it not happening. So just understanding that that was a part of the journey and a part of the process, but you have to fall in love with the journey because yeah, that may have happened; I had to now detach myself from certain expectations and start also understanding that, you know, I can't really control things outside of what I do in the studio. And once I figured that out and started being appreciative of things that really mattered, I feel like that's when everything started happening for me. When we try to control things, sometimes we can also prevent it because through frustration we're not allowing good energy to make that happen. 

You shared a post on Instagram last year where you said that you didn’t get to savor the success of producing Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money.” Since then, how have you learned to be more present and celebrate your wins after that? 
Well, I think [with] other successful moments that came up, and currently this present moment now, I'm more present in terms of understanding that these moments aren't guaranteed. So when they come, you have to celebrate them. The Rihanna moment for me, I was so focused on getting the next song. You could really get caught in that mindset; like, I made it. But no, bro, you just got one song. You have to get another one and another one. So people would congratulate me and rave about the song and the achievement. But in my mind, I accept it, but I wouldn't allow myself to live in the moment, because I'm like, “No, I'm not gonna get caught here. I would just, you know, I gotta get to the next song.” So this time around, it's like, that next song might not happen, bro. It's not guaranteed. We're in a business where your creativity is subjective, and it's not guaranteed everyone's gonna like your music. So I'm enjoying this moment because one, I did it, I'm a part of it, and I should celebrate yourself and the hard work and the process and all the sacrifices that we've placed into our craft to be in this position. And if you've made it here, man, you gotta celebrate it. So that's my mindset now. 

Looking back on “Bitch Better Have My Money” today, what is a great memory or story from that period? 
Wow, the greatest moment from that process or that song coming out, for me, it was the fact that it actually came out, as simple as that might sound. Like I said, they'll tell you certain things, right? This song is going come out. And while they're probably not lying, there's other things in the background that you have no control over. And for me, I've been through so many situations where things were supposed to happen and then at the last minute, it didn't follow through. So for a long time during that process, even leading up to the release date, I wouldn't even get myself excited because you're not going to get me again to where you're saying this is going to happen and then for whatever reason [it falls through]. But when it actually came out, I think it was such a sigh of relief that I finally got to where something actually released. 

That moment alone was a major moment because now it's in the world and you can't take that back. It was officially stamped that I'm a part of a song that became really major with one of the major artists of our time and generation. Just knowing that made the moment really amazing. And also, being in the studio with her and just going through that last-minute creative process, that was a moment as well that I hold dearly with that whole process.

What comes to mind specifically when you think of being in the studio with Rihanna during that process? 
Yeah, the one thing that comes out, we were trying to find another word to replace “bitch” for radio. And it was a funny process because everything that I suggested was trash. And trying to find another word to replace “bitch” was just a task. And we just finally left it alone. Like, you know what, they'll just bleep it out. It is what it is. But you know, just being in a room with her collaborating on last minute tweaks… So should we put this here? Should that come here? You know, that was amazing too. 

Moving into the present moment, how did you first connect with Victoria Monét?
There's two different connections. There's one connection to where we're peers in the music industry and we get introduced in the studio room somehow. And so now I know the person. hey, what's up? How you doing? But we had never worked. And then, the second connection is her manager hit me out the blue—just randomly was like, “Hey, just reaching out to you, looking to see if you're interested with working with Victoria Monét?” And I had known of her; like I said, we were like peers, but we had never worked [together]. So once that phone call came, we linked. We did one session. The very first session became the song “Jaguar,” which was the title track to the Jaguar EP. So that one text kind of like spawned this era that she's in there. 

How did “On My Mama” come about? 
So Jaguar had released, and she was going back into the studio to do Jaguar II. So at this point, we're pretty much consistent in doing sessions. And this particular day, we were in the studio, Victoria, myself, Jeff [Gitelman], who was also a producer on the record, and Kyla, who's a horn player on the record. And Jeff and I started the beat, and Victoria starts writing. And her first words were, “When I say she get it from her mama, I’mma say you fuckin’ right.” When I heard the entire verse, we got to the hook; in my mind, out of nowhere, I'm just hearing, “On my mama, on my hood.” I'm hearing the Chalie Boy song that came out in the mid-2000s. And I immediately turned to her, and I go, “I think I got the hook.” And I started singing it to her. I can't really sing, but she understood what I was expressing to her. And, you know, Victoria is a real top-tier writer, where she took the information but then tweaked it into her own melody, put her own signature on the melody, and created the hook that we have now. It was in that moment where her verse was so amazing and that song just popped up in my head, and she did her thing as a genius writer as she is. And everything else came together after that, and here we have “On My Mama” going crazy right now. 

What do you think makes this song work so well? 
One, her writing is so insane. And what she's talking about, it's self-uplifting for women. And, you know, it puts people in a great space, in a motivational way to feel great about yourself. So it's a concept that will always create a connection with someone. Two, I always like to have familiarity meet the unknown. So the unknown would be this song that you've never heard. If you never heard the hook to “On My Mama,” it'll be a song that you've never heard. So it's an unknown song, but the familiarity part is the hook. So here you have a whole different beat, because we didn't use the same beat. We just used the lyrics of the other song. So it's not like we sampled the actual beat. So we have a whole different beat to a new song where we took the sample from another song. So it's like the familiarity meets the unknown, and that's how you have success. And that also created a connection with people to where now they want to sing it back to you. At a show, anywhere you go, it's relatable. It's for every venue, most situations, and that lends to the longevity of the record. 

Would you say these nominations and this moment are long overdue for yourself and Victoria Monét, who’s had skin in the game for a long time now? Or is it just divine timing? 
I think for Victoria, it's divine timing. I think things happen when they're supposed to happen. We've all been students of the game. We've all been working extremely hard. We've all been deserving. And I think she was nominated before as a songwriter, so she's seen this on some level. But in regards to her as an artist, she's definitely been on this journey. So I know it's been a journey for her with the sacrifices and the struggles. So I'm a big believer in things happen when they're supposed to happen. I think this is our moment; this is our season. Understanding who she is as an artist, the parts that people don't see, and how meticulous she is with choosing sounds and curating her world and what she wants, I think it's amazing to see. And for me, I just stick my head down and keep moving, and this happened to be the time now. I'm appreciative and grateful things happen when it's supposed to happen. 

I’ve heard you’ve been in the studio with Coco Jones. Is this correct? 
Yes, that's correct. I've been in the studio with a few artists, and we've done some amazing songs. 

What do you think makes Coco Jones stand out as an artist to watch right now? 
I think she's an amazing singer. She's an amazing vocalist. Working with her—she's another person who knows what she wants. She knows how to articulate, how to visualize what she wants [in] a song and how she wants it to be. For me as a producer, that makes my job easier because now I know what she wants and now I can deliver exactly what you're conveying to me, and that makes you happy as an artist. 

You mentioned working with Selena Gomez. What something that you learned about her that may have surprised you? 
Her vulnerability. Being in the studio with her and seeing the vulnerable side of her, that’s what a lot of people don't see—in terms of her life experiences, what she’s currently going through. Having the opportunity to have her be vulnerable and be comfortable to be vulnerable helped me to learn a lot about her and how amazing of a person she is. 

I also heard you’ve been locked in with Rihanna. Is there some truth to that? 
Yeah, there's a lot of truth there. I am currently in the headspace of that being a priority. In terms of creating, I have been doing a few things with her in mind. I've been sending [beats] out and have been getting good feedback. So the process has started for sure with getting new music out for Rihanna to listen to. And I'm just crossing my fingers that we all are going to get some amazing music from Rihanna in the near future, man. I'm crossing my fingers. I'm like everyone else. So I'm doing my part to ensure or create the possibilities of that happening for the whole world and the whole damn universe. 

Is there a word that would describe Rihanna’s next chapter in music? How would you describe the sound of the music you’ve been sending to her? 
Well, I mean, I don't know what the sound is. I don't know what anyone else is handing in. Where I am in my part of the journey, I want to continue to be daring. I want to disrupt. I want to inject urgency into music. I wanna stand out. I think for an artist like Rihanna, that works perfectly because she's daring. She's edgy; she's never really played it safe. Especially with music, she always pushed boundaries and looked to not be put in a box. So this is a perfect playground for me to just do something different and disrupt what is creatively happening now. So I don't know about everyone, but that's my goal: disruption and urgency to where when you hear it, you're like, “Yo, what is this?” So when you heard “Bitch Better Have My Money,” that is a great example of disruption and urgency. It was aggressive, and it didn't really sound a lot like what was happening at that time. And Rihanna is the artist that you want to do that with. So that's what I'm doing. 

Is there anything else that you’re working on that we should know about? 
I'm producing what I would like to call episodes. I call it a podcast, but I feel everything is a podcast. But I'm aiming to have conversations in the back of my car with successful and amazing creators, producers, artists, songwriters that are beloved by the whole world, whether you know them or you don't. And during this car ride and this conversation, I am speaking about the moments in their careers where they were at their lowest points. I want to know when were you at your lowest point? What helped you get through that moment? And what was the moment where you changed lanes? The name of the show is called Changing Lanes. People only see you when you're at the top, but they don't really get a peek into what you had to go through to get there, what obstacles, what struggles, sacrifices. I want to hear from the moment you were down to the moment you were crowned. That's the motto of the show. 

What are your goals for this year?
The goal for this year is to make millions of dollars. That's a real goal, by the way. I have another goal—to get to invest more into tech. I invest in tech companies. That's like a thing that I do outside of music. So I want to do more investing and creating the possibilities of making those millions. Also, I want to usher in a sound that's disruptive and urgent, but equally palatable for everyone to understand it and digest it and go crazy over.