Iota Phi Theta’s Kendrick Dean Has Produced Music for Destiny’s Child, Chris Brown, and Mariah Carey

From Billboard-topping singles to Grammy-nominated albums, the work of one Iota Phi Theta brother runs all through modern R&B and pop. His name is Kendrick Jevon Dean, and he has spent his career crafting hits for some of the biggest names in music.

Dean, who produces under the name Wyldcard, is a music producer, songwriter, photographer, and businessman, and a member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. He is a charter member of the fraternity’s Gamma Omicron Chapter at the University of Florida, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. was founded in 1963 at Morgan State University.

Before the hit records, Dean stood in front of a classroom. A former history teacher at Maynard Evans High School in Orlando, he drew on a musical foundation in classical, jazz, and gospel to make the leap into the recording industry. That transition came in 2004, when he earned his first major production credit on Destiny Fulfilled, the final album from the legendary group Destiny’s Child.

From there, the hits kept coming. According to Iota Phi Theta, Dean has produced or written for five Grammy-nominated albums and helped create some of the most recognizable songs of the era, including Chris Brown’s “Say Goodbye” and Mariah Carey’s “I Stay in Love,” both of which reached No. 1 on Billboard charts, along with Trey Songz’s “Last Time.”

Over the years, his production and songwriting credits have expanded to include work for a who’s who of R&B, among them Keyshia Cole, Monica, Tyrese, Usher, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, and Ciara. His contributions have appeared on Grammy-nominated albums spanning more than a decade, from Destiny’s Child and Chris Brown to Keyshia Cole’s Just Like You, Monica’s Still Standing, and Tyrese’s Open Invitation and Black Rose.

Dean’s journey from the classroom to the recording studio speaks to the range of a man grounded in scholarship and driven by creativity. He turned a deep musical education and a love of history into a career that has helped shape the sound of a generation, all while carrying the letters of Iota Phi Theta with him.

We at Watch The Yard would like to commend Brother Kendrick Dean for representing Iota Phi Theta on the biggest stages in music.