Scott Storch, Producer For Chris Brown and Xtina, Files for Bankruptcy
Scott Storch, formerly prolific music producer, has filed for bankruptcy. His financial downfall is a cautionary tale against reckless spending and the dangers of fame, and TMZ reports that Storch claims he has just $3,600 in assets left. Depressingly, this consists of $100 in cash, $500 worth of clothing and a $3,000 watch.
Over the years, the producer managed to blow $70 million in earnings on, well, blow. In addition to an unfortunate cocaine problem, Storch shelled out for parties, luxury cars, boats, and a private jet — even as his music credits dwindled. According to Billboard, he previously filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2009 and he caught a grand theft auto charge for a misappropriated 2004 Bentley GT... which he had allegedly leased for Lil' Kim. He was arrested for cocaine possession in February 2012.
Storch was a keyboardist for The Roots at the beginning of the hip hop band's career in the early '90s. Of the many songs he produced in the '90s and early '00s, Storch's hits include Dr. Dre's "Still D.R.E.," Fat Joe's "Lean Back" and Chris Brown's "Run It." In 2002 he co-produced Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River" with Timbaland, as well as eight tracks on Christina Aguilera's Stripped.
Storch also produced most of Paris Hilton's debut studio album, Paris (though he's not responsible for "Stars Are Blind"), and worked on several Beyonce songs, including "Baby Boy."
In a 2006 interview with Billboard at the peak of his career, Storch told them he charged $100,000 a track. When asked what he'd be doing if he wasn't a superstar producer, he said, "I'd probably be playing piano in a bar and doing weddings and bar mitzvahs. I'm really just a regular person who loves music."