Born Terius Youngdell Nash, this singer, songwriter, and producer has penned some of the best pop songs of recent years. Together with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, The-Dream has been responsible for hits like Rihanna's inescapable 'Umbrella', B2K's 'Everything', and Beyonce's huge anthem 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)'.
This success allowed him to step out into the limelight himself with his 2007 debut album 'Love Hate' creating a buzz. But it was the follow-up, last year's 'Love vs. Money', that saw him make his name as a performer thanks to the successful singles 'Rockin' That Thang' and 'My Love' with Mariah Carey'.
His third album in three years, 'Love King' clearly aims to keep that momentum going - by recycling lyrics and beats. The result: songs like the title track (and lead single) sound overly familiar without ever matching his best work.
Lyrically too, he is on well-worn ground, moving from light, inconsequential love songs to the explicit extremes of mimicking R Kelly.
On the relatively fresh-sounding 'Nikki Part 2' he explains the rollercoaster ride that is his love life. And while 'Make-Up Bag' (featuring an inconsequential rap from T.I.) could just be about a bag with make-up in it, when he starts singing "If you ever make ya girlfriend mad/ Dont let ya good girl go bad/ Drop five stacks on the make-up bag" it's clear there's more going on. Has he bought someone's love to keep them? Has he been a cheating dog?
Questions like these loom large over 'Love King', especially in the light of recent revelations from his not-so-private-life - filing Christina Milian with divorce papers nine days before their baby is due; caught canoodling with his assistant.
Personal lives do affect one's work - on several songs he plays the unfaithful lover rather too convincingly - and can reflect it in a bad light but, lifestyle indiscretions aside, The-Dream remains a talented songwriter and producer.
He does need to find a new groove though. Despite claiming - like Jay-Z - that this is his last album, his next offering should be a real tell-all about his love life. There's clearly plenty of material for him to work from and it's likely to sell millions like Usher did with 2004's 'Confessions.'
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