# Japhe Tejeda

Japhe Tejeda was an American singer, songwriter, and producer, best known for co-writing "Don't Wanna Be a Player" and "The Boy Is Mine", as well as other various work with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and his brother Fred Jerkins III. Tejeda, alongside friends Jermaine Paul, Danny Martinez, and Charles Paul, were former members of the R&B vocal quartet 1 Accord, one of the first signees on Shaquille O'Neal's short-lived The World Is Mine (T.W.IsM.) imprint in collaboration with A&M Records.

## Career
### 1990s: 1 Accord and songwriting

Tejeda and Charles Paul both attended University at Albany, SUNY in the early 1990s, and formed 1 Accord after recruiting Paul's younger brother Jermaine, performing at local Albany talent shows, coffeehouses, and live music venues in New York City. By the time Jermaine had graduated from high school in 1996, and Martinez was added to the group, their demo had landed the group a recording contract with Shaquille O’Neal’s label. After signing with O’Neal and building a relationship with producer Rodney Jerkins, the group was asked to contribute to the soundtrack of Jamie Foxx film Booty Call, as well as other film soundtracks, label compilations, unofficial radio DJ mixtapes, and the debut album of Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz. 1 Accord's 1996 debut album The New Era, executive-produced by Jerkins, was shelved in 1997 after numerous delays, leading Tejeda to move further into songwriting. The group disbanded, and Tejeda would subsequently join Jerkins' camp of songwriters, first appearing as a background vocalist on Jerkins' singles for Simone Hines and Jason Weaver, and then co-writing notable Jerkins productions including "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" from Aaliyah album One in a Million, more than fifty percent of the 1997 debut album for Michael Jackson-signed boyband No Authority, Top 30 Joe single "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and 13-week Brandy/Monica number-one single "The Boy Is Mine", earning Tejeda an ASCAP Pop Award and a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999. Tejeda subsequently appeared as a co-writer on multiple Jerkins-produced albums in 1998, including blockbuster album Never Say Never, as well as albums KW and 'Bout It. Both hit singles Tejada co-wrote have been sampled on multiple singles by other artists, charting internationally.

## Songwriting and production credits

| Title | Year | Artist | Album |
| "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" | 1996 | Aaliyah | One in a Million |
| "You Got Me Goin'" | 1996 | II D Extreme | From I Extreme II Another |
| "Don't Wanna Be a Player" | 1997 | Joe | All That I Am |
| "Don't Stop" | 1997 | No Authority | Keep On |
| "Up And Down" | 1997 | No Authority | Keep On |
| "Girlfriend" | 1997 | No Authority | Keep On |
| "Please Don't Break My Heart" | 1997 | No Authority | Keep On |
| "If You Want Me" | 1997 | No Authority | Keep On |
| "Never Let You Go" | 1997 | No Authority | Keep On |
| "The Boy Is Mine" | 1998 | Brandy & Monica | Never Say Never & The Boy Is Mine |
| "Never Say Never" | 1998 | Brandy | Never Say Never |
| "Put That on Everything" | 1998 | Brandy | Never Say Never |
| "Happy" | 1998 | Brandy | Never Say Never |
| "Tomorrow" | 1998 | Brandy | Never Say Never |
| "I Warned You" | 1998 | Keith Washington | KW |
| "Tell Me (Are You with It)" | 1998 | Keith Washington | KW |
| "You Let Me Down" | 1998 | Keith Washington | KW |
| "Still Not A Player" (Featuring Joe) | 1998 | Big Pun | Capital Punishment |
| "Are You Missin' My Love?" | 1998 | Jesse Powell | 'Bout It |
| "Up and Down" | 1998 | Jesse Powell | 'Bout It |
| "Oogie Boogie" | 1998 | MC Lyte | Seven & Seven |
| "Girlfriend" | 1999 | No Authority | What I Wanna Do |
| "It's Mine" | 1999 | Mobb Deep | Murda Muzik |
| "Why?" | 2001 | Ashley Ballard | Get In The Booth |
| "Don't Leave" | 2005 | N2U | Issues |
| "The Girl Is Mine" (Featuring Destiny's Child & Brandy) | 2015 | 99 Souls | Non-album single |
| "Right Back" (Featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie) | 2019 | Khalid | Free Spirit |
| "Playa" (Featuring H.E.R.) | 2022 | A Boogie wit da Hoodie | Me vs. Myself |
| "Bionic Boy" | 2022 | Jamie Jones | Non-album single |
| "Mine" | 2022 | Tink | Pillow Talk |
| "Need Me" | 2023 | Lil Tecca | Tec |
| "Mazacote" | 2024 | Farruko & Ñengo Flow | CVRBON VRMOR |

## Guest & miscellaneous vocal appearances

List of guest appearances as a member of 1 Accord and/or with other performing artists, showing year released and album name :
| Title | Year | Other performer(s) | Album |
| "Don't Wanna Be Alone" | 1996 | 1 Accord, Shaquille O'Neal | You Can't Stop the Reign |
| "Stay With Me (LP Version)" | 1996 | Jason Weaver & Horace Brown | Stay With Me (Shelved) |
| "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" | 1997 | Simone Hines | Simone Hines |
| "A Dream" | 1997 | Mary J. Blige, 1 Accord, Darkchild Choir | Money Talks: The Album |
| "Don't Stop, Don't Quit" | 1997 | 1 Accord | Booty Call: The Soundtrack |
| "Shortie Girl" | 1997 | 1 Accord, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz | The New Era (Shelved) |
| "River (Interlude)" | 1998 | 1 Accord, Shaquille O'Neal | Respect |
| "Startin' Somethin'" | 1998 | 1 Accord, Chauncey Black, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz | Make It Reign |
| "A Night in the Bronx With Lord & Gunz" | 1998 | 1 Accord, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz | Make It Reign |
| "My Time to Go" | 1998 | 1 Accord, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz | Make It Reign |
| "Ooh Ooh Baby" | 2000 | 1 Accord, DJ Capone | The Cartel Compilation Mixtape |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result | Ref |
| 1999 | 41st Annual Grammy Awards | Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (The Boy Is Mine) | Nominated | |
| 1999 | ASCAP Pop Awards | Most Performed Songs (The Boy Is Mine) | Won | |