Rico Love Feeds Ego Working With ‘Ego-Driven’ Artists

Before Rico Love had the chance to work with the likes of Beyonce and Dr. Dre, he was penning songs for Usher. Now, the 27-year-old is crafting songs for Jamie Foxx and R. Kelly. As a veteran songwriter, Rico's dealt with gracious artists and those that fail to credit his name for lyrics he's masterminded. Yet, the head of Division 1 Music Group doesn't lose sleep over their way with words.

"I watch artists say they wrote all these songs and don't mention anybody else who was involved, and that's fine," Rico tells The BoomBox. "I don't expect an artist to give me credit. I know that they're gonna take the credit for everything. But, it's my job to give myself that exposure and not make excuses, not grow bitter." Instead, Nelly's 'Just a Dream' collaborator allows the truth to speak for itself.

"There's a bunch of people who sit around and make excuses for themselves and get upset with artists, but you already know what this is -- it's an ego-driven business," says Rico, who considers artists like Usher and Nelly "friends" for appreciating his work and shouting him out. "It's a facetious business. Most of the reason for this is because of the artist. But it doesn't bother me. I think very highly of myself. I don't need anyone to tell me I'm awesome. I know my work speaks for itself. I can do whatever I wanna do and I can say whatever I wanna say because it's all the truth."

While Rico has no control over whether rappers and R&B singers want to acknowledge his past work in interviews, he can possibly take charge when it comes to future collaborations. The lauded songwriter hopes to snag a studio session with two music industry mainstays.

"I definitely want to work with Brandy and I want to work with Jay-Z," he admits. "Brandy is one of my favorite vocalists. Jay-Z is my favorite emcee outside of Biggie."