Solo rappers might be the norm, but one Los Angeles management company is hitting with a group.

The Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer breaks down his three-step writing process, recalls his history in Virginia Beach with Chad Hugo and Teddy Riley, and says anybody can do what he does.

The five-letter word, it turns out, is as central to the popular music lexicon as are "rock" and "roll."

De La's third album, Buhloone Mindstate, challenged the music industry 鈥� an industry then obsessed with hip-hop's crossover success 鈥� and went on to become a classic.