American record producer, songwriter, singer, and rapper
Musical artist
Richard Preston Butler Jr. (born December 3, 1982), better known by his stage name Rico Love , is an American record producer, songwriter, singer, and rapper. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana , but split his childhood between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and New York City's Harlem neighborhood. He attended Florida A&M and, while visiting Atlanta, Georgia , worked his way into the music industry through connections with singer Usher , who became one of Butler's frequent collaborators.
Usher's 2004 song, "Throwback ", was Butler's first major songwriting credit; its parent album, Confessions (2004), won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards . Butler's contributions to Beyoncé's I Am... Sasha Fierce ,[ 2] Usher's Raymond v. Raymond (2009),[ 3] and the album's single, "There Goes My Baby " each won Grammy Awards.[ 3] He also co-wrote "Heart Attack " for Trey Songz , which received a nomination for the award.[ 4] Throughout the decade, he was credited on commercially successful R&B singles including Usher's "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home) ", Nelly 's "Just a Dream " and "Gone ", and Beyoncé 's "Sweet Dreams ".[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] He has worked with artists such as Kelly Rowland ,[ 8] Mario ,[ 9] Chris Brown ,[ 10] Alexandra Burke , Keri Hilson ,[ 11] Fergie ,[ 12] and Fantasia .[ 13]
As a recording artist, Butler has released two studio albums: TTLO (2015) and Even Kings Die (2018); the former spawned the single "They Don't Know ", which moderately entered the Billboard Hot 100 . He launched the record label Division1 as an imprint of Universal Motown in 2010, and later Interscope Records in 2013; it has signed artists including Young Chris , Tiara Thomas , and Teairra Marí .[ 14] [ 15] [ 16] He has guest performed on albums for T.I. , Jermaine Dupri , Jamie Foxx ,[ 17] Rich Boy ,[ 18] and Fat Joe .[ 19]
^ "Rico Love 'Presents: Emerging Women of R&B' with new album" . May 8, 2020.
^ "Past Winners Search | GRAMMY.com" . www.grammy.com . Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2022 .
^ a b "54th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees And Winners | GRAMMY.com" . May 3, 2012. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2023 .
^ "Rico Love | Artist | GRAMMY.com" . www.grammy.com . Retrieved December 21, 2023 .
^ "Song Search :: SESAC" . www.sesac.com . Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2022 .
^ "Song Search :: SESAC" . www.sesac.com . Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2022 .
^ "Rico Love" . SESAC. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "Nelly and Kelly reunite" . Star Observer . March 9, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "Rico Love Says Diddy-Dirty Money Album Will Be Worth the Wait" . Rap-Up.com. April 28, 2010. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "Exclusive: Songwriter Rico Love Talks Chris Brown's "Amazing" Songwriting Progress" . Neonlimelight.com. July 9, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "Rico Love: The Music Industry Is Like High School" . The Urban Daily. June 8, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "Fergie Has Sex and the City's Theme, 'Labels Or Love' " . California: Prnewswire.com. May 5, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "Rico Love Talks About Fantasia's New Album: "I Wanted to Show People Her Seductive Side" - That Grape Juice" . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2011 .
^ "Rico Love's Division 1/Universal Motown Launch Party" . VIBE. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "New Video: T.I. x Rico Love "Lay Me Down" " . Rap Radar. January 26, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "Music: Usher feat. Rico Love – She's Got It" . Thisisrnb.com. December 2, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "Jamie Foxx Featuring Rico Love: MP3 Downloads" . Amazon.com. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "Rich Boy ft. Rico Love – We Like It" . Hiphopmusicdotcom.com. November 26, 2009. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .
^ "Fat Joe Ft. Rico Love – No Problems | HipHopLEAD.com: New Hip Hop Music, Hip Hop Mixtapes, Rap Videos" . HipHopLEAD.com. July 9, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2011 .