Scott Storch: Mansions, Yachts, & Gulfstreams, DUB Magazine, Issue 41
Hip-hop music videos are hyperbolic microcosms that depict mega-sized yachts, ultraluxurious private jets, and a nocturnal lifestyle that seems completely divorced from reality. Living comfortably within that fantastical realm is Scott Storch, a genius music producer for the hip-hop A-list who happens to create many of the songs underneath those exaggerated MTV visuals.
Storch is responsible for scores of the genre's signature sounds, which include Dr. Dre's "Still Dre", 50 Cent's "Candy Shop", Fat Joe's "Lean Back", and Beyoncé's "Naughty Girl", for starters. Unlike sample-happy mixmasters that build their musical landscapes on the backbones of other artist's tunes, Storch serves as the architect of his songs from the ground up, composing rhythms and melodies with a computer, a keyboard, and a gut instinct for what sounds fresh and hitworthy. His ditties are slick and contagious, and his productions are free flowing flights of fancy unafraid to incorporate staccato tiptoe articulated passages, Arab-inflected modal melodies, and lush musical worlds that address both the raw sounds of the street, and the cosseted musings of the imagination.
Years before Storch became a mainstream mover and shaker, he was simply a kid fascinated with music, a keyboardist with a passion for sixties-era Motown. "I was writing songs at 14, and there was no doubt in my mind that that's what I wanted to do with my life," he recalls. "Whether I was a big producer or I played at bar mitzvahs and weddings, I didn't really care; I just wanted to be making music." After moving to Philadelphia at the age of 15, Storch's father introduced him to a co-worker who was an aspiring hip hop manager. It wasn't long before Storch was co-building the tone center for the group that would become known as The Roots, and after some initial success and becoming signed to Geffen Records, Storch was on his way to living his dream. "That legitimized my career in music," he says, even though the experience only tapped into a sliver of his natural talents.
"Things Fall Apart" turned out to be more than just the name of a Roots album; it would eventually describe Storch's disassociation from the group. "Being in a band wasn't my passion any more," he explains. "Instead of being on the road and playing the same songs everyday, I decided I wanted to be a producer." Storch began collaborating with artists like Snoop Dogg and Xzibit, and his reputation steadily grew.
Ascendancy in the music scene is rarely linear, and Scott Storch has, in the process of building his career, experienced his share of controversy. A falling out with Christina Aguilera during the recording of her "Back to Basics" album, for instance, resulted in her recording a track entitled, "F.U.S.S." Polite observers have interpreted the abbreviation as shorthand for "Forget U Scott Storch", but realists suspect that Aguilera intended an entirely different "F" word. Collaboration with Paris Hilton produced some smooth tracks and saucy gossip, though Storch became disappointed when the label selected a non-Storch track as Hilton's first single-a move he considered an act of disrespect that undermined the otherwise street savvy integrity of the album.
Controversy aside, the extent of Storch's penetration into the musical zeitgeist has afforded him a lifestyle usually reserved for fictitious characters of film. And while it's easy to imagine Storch as a latter-day Scarface, he dismisses an earlier description of himself as the Meyer Lansky of hip-hop (Lansky was a famous Jewish gangster), announcing instead that "It's show business, man; I'm no gangsta, I'm a musician."
Storch's day-to-day existence may include elements of the champagne-soaked stuff of music videos, but he also spends long hours in the studio pounding out tunes, and considers hard work to be the foundation of his career. "It's great to be an artist, and you've got to keep that artistic side alive, but at the same time you've got to be a salesman and sell yourself. otherwise, nobody's gonna hear the music you create in your garage."
Exotic machines are commonplace in Storch's garage. Though he doesn't mention exactly how many vehicles he owns, he estimates that roughly thirteen or so of his rides-many of which are customized by his friends at Euro Motor Sport in Ft. Lauderdale-see use as daily drivers.
Among Storch's stable is a $455,000 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The F1 inspired, carbon-fiber chassis supercar boasts a heady 617 horsepower and wears Lowenhart SLR wheels wrapped in 20" 255/30 Continental ContiSportContact rubber at the front, and 305/25s at the rear. While hardtops are preferable for high performance driving, Miami weather begs for top-down motoring, and Storch's extensive convertible selections offer a droptop for every mood. If he's craving the Italian aura of sound and fury, he might hop into his $326,000 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster or his Ferrari Superamerica, a limited edition whip with a retractable electrochromic glass panel roof, of which only 559 examples exist. The Ferrari is personalized with 20" GFG Klessig-5s shod with Pirelli P-Zero 245/35s up front, and 345/25s at the rear.
In addition to driving himself, Storch also enjoys being chauffeured in the Rolls-Royce Phantom, though he prefers being driven in his two-tone, dark and ice blue Maybach 62 because "the amenities," as he describes them, "are just outrageous".
In perhaps the grandest mixed metaphor in all of automobiledom, Storch enjoys a unique Rolls-Royce built for his partner Cecil Barker's son, Stack$. Because the young rapper penned a line about a "droptop Phantom" in his song "Git It, Git It,"a request was made for Rolls-Royce to chop the top off the Phantom. Rolls-Royce politely declined to modify the car (citing concerns about structural integrity), and they were also unable to lend their one-off 100 EX prototype, so Wisconsin-based Gennadi Design was hired to de-roof the Phantom-to the tune of a cool $198,000. While the car was used in the video, Storch says that the conversion is not complete, and that the chassis is subsequently not yet stable enough for casual use. In the meantime, Storch is anxiously awaiting his own Rolls-Royce 100 EX and Bentley Azure Drophead-the latter of which will be delivered in early 2007.
Exotics, sporty convertibles, and luxury sedans aside, Storch's automotive crown jewel is undoubtedly his black blue metallic Bugatti Veyron 16.4, the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive production car on the planet. Its 16-cylinder, quad-turbocharged powerplant produces a staggering 1,001 horsepower, enabling the Veyron to reach 60 mph in only 2.46 seconds, and hit a top speed of 253 mph. "I've never driven a Gulfstream G4," explains Storch, "but I'd imagine it's similar to driving a Veyron. I don't wanna ever jeopardize my life," he adds, "but occasional spurts of excitement that you can't hold back on the highway happen, only for brief interludes. The power is unparalleled-it's just so insane." Many would also consider the Veyron's price of roughly $1.4 million insane, but considering Storch's wealth-which Rolling Stone has recently estimated at $70 million-the ultraexotic ride seems like a natural choice for the man who has everything.
Though each of the very few Veyrons that have been produced are different, they all roll on the same Michelin PAX system run-flat tires, which are an expansive 265 mm up front, and a gargantuan 365 mm at the rear.
Even more massive is his Palm Island home, an $11 million, 26,000 square feet under air oasis with a dock for his 90-foot Sunseeker Predator yacht. "I changed the 90 for a 117, but unfortunately the neighbors weren't too cool with it, and the environmental police said it was messing up the sea life." Storch reverted to the (relatively) humbler 90-foot Sunseeker, which he describes as an excellent source of stress relief. "It's intoxicating. You get out on the boat, up on the fly bridge for a while, and just chill out on the water. It's the best feeling in the world." Storch is seeking an even better feeling, however, as he is in the process of shopping for what he describes as a "very, very, very large yacht" in the neighborhood of 140 feet, which will be able to cruise to Europe, and requires docking at a marina.
Following our still shoot and the photography of MTV Cribs: Whips, Rides & Dubs-which immortalized a few of his land and sea toys-Storch generously invited DUB to travel with him on his chartered Gulfstream G4. The experience was smooth, lavish, and soothing; exactly the type of ride one would expect from a superstar record producer.
As for future projects, Storch says that he envisions a dalliance with his roots, no pun intended. "I started out doing live music that was 100% organic with a band, and I have a feeling I'm gonna be headed there soon, orchestrating versus producing."
"Really," he adds for emphasis, "it all goes full circle."
Basem Wasef
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