It could just be a disgruntled producer’s sour grapes, but producer Damon Elliot says Keyshia Cole has virtually wiped him from her musical history, even excluding him from Grammy nominations he says he deserves. Elliot, who is legendary singer Dionne Warwick’s son, says that he was instrumental to Cole’s discovery and success through his Confidential Records label, which Cole is still signed to. In a press release, Elliot claims that he discovered the Bay area singer via actress Meagan Goode, who invited him to hear Cole sing on the Los Angeles set of “Biker Boyz,” the movie she was filming at the time. Elliot says once he heard Cole sing, he then introduced her to songwriter/producer Greg Curtis. Cole’s hit song “Love” was a result of that meeting. Elliot says he played “Love” for a recording executive, which led directly to Keyshia being signed by Interscope. Elliot even included the aspiring singer in several interviews he was doing for projects he was working on with Mya, Destiny’s Child, Pink and Jessica Simpson. A 2002 ASCAP.com profile of him talks about his work with those artists and more as well as his debut in film scoring with the Jaime Kennedy vehicle “Malibu’s Most Wanted.” Elliot says that his contributions being virtually ignored in the midst of Cole’s recent Grammy nominations spurred him to come forward. He was succesfull in getting NARAS, who oversees the Grammys, to change Cole’s nominations to include Confidential Records, not just Geffen, Cole’s parent label. Elliott says his songwriting contributions to three songs on Cole’s first CD The Way It Is (2005) were downplayed and that he appears in the album credits as ‘D. Elliot’ while co-writers were credited with their full names. “I still stand behind Keyshia 100%, but Iâve always wanted the opportunity to make the truth known,” Elliot says. “I knew in time people would learn the truth. Those who were there and know what I did (for Keyshia) call me all the time to congratulate me on her successes. They know sheâs my artist and Iâm proud that she was the first one signed to my label. But Iâm also excited about the many new projects Iâm working on in music, movies and fashion.â Elliot is working with his mom on a new gospel project, Spice Girl Mel B. on her solo project and with Chinese actress Bai Ling on her musical debut. He’s got a new act, Hopspin, signed to Confidential Records, and is scoring a documentary on the Negro Leagues called, ironically enough, “The Untold Truth.” In other news, on January 25th ‘How She Move’ hits theaters, and will feature a cameo appearance by Keyshia Cole. How She Move is an energetic, gritty and ultimately inspiring coming of age tale about a gifted young woman who defies all the rules as she step dances her heart out to achieve her dreams. Featuring a fresh cast of new discoveries, this Sundance Film Festival hit marks the feature film debut of the electric RUTINA WESLEY, with street-style step sequences by top choreographer Hi Hat. Bursting with raw talent and intelligence, Raya Green (WESLEY), the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, has always been the familyâs one great hope. She won the rare chance to break out of their drug and crime-infested neighborhood when she was accepted into the exclusive Seaton Academy. But when her sister dies of an overdose, the family is shattered and Raya is forced to return to the place she tried so hard to escape.
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