Top 8 Quotes & Sayings by Damon Thomas

There was a time when certain producers could produce just about anything, and the label execs would say, "That's a such-and-such record. Let's put that out as the first single."

A lot of the hot music today comes from what's being done in R&B and hip-hop.

The way radio is working right now, you can't put out anything just based on the producer's name. The general public and radio are so selective and focused on a certain genre and a certain set of songs that you have to have a great song to crack through all that.

The more people who come from musical backgrounds and go into promotion, production, songwriting, A&R, plus get their business head together, the better. They'll not only understand the business aspect, they'll also have a true passion and ear for how quality is represented musically. Plus consumers will always have a hunger for R&B music.

We constantly try to change and stay fresh. We've done a lot of different styles of music: R&B, hip-hop, rock, orchestral. So when people hear us doing a rock'n'roll record or a movie like "Dreamgirls," they'll say, "Hey, that doesn't sound like an Underdogs sound."

Just trying to get to know what director Bill Condon wanted. He's a great director and knows exactly what he wants. He knew every lyric to every song; knew where a handicap was.

We feel pretty comfortable making music but beyond that there have been other things to take into account, including promotion, marketing, airplay.

We're not just R&B guys. We can do pop, rock, blues . . . a wide variety. We are musicians and play several instruments. We understand how to record things live and work with an orchestra. We can also program with a drum machine and work with all the other computerized components that are current today.