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.^[8] 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.^[8] 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.^[9][2][10] 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.