Since the '90s, Atlanta has become the Kingdom of R&B, the center of Crunk and well, just call the city Hitlanta these days. One of those trailblazers that has been there from the beginning of this southern revolution is DeVyne Stephens. Some know him as a choreographer, others watched him take to the road as an artist, and still more have watched him blossom into an entrepreneur.
As part of the rap group DeVyne and 90 MPH, Stephens was one of the first acts signed by Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds to their then-Atlanta-based LaFace label. When internal problems led to the group disbanding, Stephens went on to work behind the scenes with Reid and Babyface to help mold artists such as Usher, TLC, Toni Braxton, Pink and OutKast, working as an choreographer and image-maker.
"They call me the urban Tony Robbins," says Stephens of his reputation for grooming artists for platinum success. "If an artist has that special thing, I help bring it out. If it's not there, I can't create it."
His latest success story is Akon, the first artist on his own UpFront Entertainment through a distribution deal with SRC/Universal. Akon's "Trouble" album has soared past platinum in the U.S., with more than 1.3 million sold and more than 3.5 million in sales worldwide, producing the hit singles "Locked Up" and "Lonely." Stephens is executive producer of the project.
A true Atlanta native, Stephens' high school classmates included Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and TLC's T-Boz. "Atlanta was a tight-knit community and what we did was embrace the culture through the music," he says. "It was our lifestyle - the clothes we wore, the language we spoke, the way we moved, the records we listened to. Artist development has always been second nature to me."
Through his company, StarMaker, Stephens' touch has been applied to a who's who of music, including Ciara, Usher, Teirra Mari, Mario, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Gwen Stefani, B5, 112, Mary J. Blige, Monica, Mariah Carey, Sean Paul and Jagged Edge. As did Motown founder Berry Gordy and his own mentor, Antonio "L.A." Reid, Stephens says he gets into every aspect of artist presentation. His creativity and originality has been his trademark throughout his career, evident by his work on staging several of music's most prestigious events, such as the Grammys,

American Music Awards, Soul Train Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Vibe Awards and the 2004 NFL Super Bowl half-time performance.
His latest signing to Upfront is Kandi, formerly with Xscape, but now a Grammy award-winning songwriter known for her work on TLC's "No Scrubs" and Destiny's Child's "Bills," as well as penning songs for Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Monica, Pink, Alicia Keys and more. DeVyne is preparing to release Kandi's album in the first quarter of 2006, while Akon's sophomore effort is due in Summer '06.
"Atlanta is on fire right now. Everything coming out of here is being embraced on both coasts," Stephens points out. "As someone at least partly responsible for the culture coming out of here, why should I leave when it's just getting good? I found my focus. I'm all about building a record label that's solid and committed to artist development."

Star - How did you get started as a producer? What was the first song you got paid for?
DS - It was a song Akon did on my album when I had a deal with Elektra, "Uh uh." It was like one of those club chant records that was catchy. It was a nice collaboration.

Star - What's been your biggest hit so far?
DS - Akon's album. I'm executive producer. We have one of the biggest records out now with Young Jeezy - "Soul Survivor."

Star - What do you think are the main ingredients to a good song, and then, what are the keys to a commercially successful song?
DS - A good song will have commercial success. It's got to have a banging beat and a catchy hook and current subject matter.

Star - What do you look for in an artist?
DS - I look for originality, personality... they have to know how to entertain.

Star - Let me play devil's advocate here... Kandi was a member of Xscape, then she did a solo thing and she's been recognized as a songwriter with a Grammy. What do you think YOU can make happen for her as a solo artist that the others couldn't?
DS - What others haven't done... Kandi has amazing vocal ability that has not been displayed properly. As a solo artist, her direction before was based on the fact that she had written hit records with TLC, Destiny's Child... they said that was her sound. It was a pop sound. A lot of times when a solo artist starts out new, you have to work back to the