Troy Johnson (producer)

Troy L. Johnson, sometimes also credited as Lil Troy or R8DIO,^[1] is an American songwriter, record producer, and music executive.

Born in the 1980s and raised in Southern California,^[1] Johnson is the son of George Johnson, one half of American funk and R&B duo The Brothers Johnson.^[2] Exposed to the technical aspects of music production from an early age through his father's career, Johnson began making music with his then-partner Brycyn Evans via Nature's Finest Productions. Together, the duo produced remixes for Shaggy and secured a deal with Quincy Jones III, through Evans' connection.^[2] Through their manager, Jay Brown, an executive at Elektra Records, Johnson and Evans contributed as producers to the soundtrack of Backstage, the 2000 documentary directed by Chris Fiore, producing the song “Wanna Take Me Back” for Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins.^[2]

Following these early placements, Johnson worked with additional urban artists and collaborated with producers such as Missy Elliott. After the passing of Evans in 2000, Johnson continued developing projects independently.^[2] After signing with his first publisher, Valerie Bisharat, Johnson connected with Mathew Knowles and his daughter Solange, resulting in collaborations that appeared on her debut album Solo Star (2002), as well as on Kelly Rowland's debut solo album Simply Deep.^[2] He later became an in-house songwriter and producer for Will Smith at the Boom Boom Room in Burbank, California, contributing to Smith's 2005 album Lost and Found.^[2]