Of all the places to carry his money, the stark white Air Jordan sneakers would seem the least likely. But there it is, a roll of crisp $20 bills, tucked between music producer Terius Nash's shoelaces where anyone can see. The last time he came to MTV, he wore $2,000 around his neck. "It was a big roll of $20s on a ball and chain," he says. "I would've worn it again, but you gotta keep giving them something new."

Some people might worry that stunts like this could get you mugged, but for Nash — whose nom de hip-hop is The Dream — that's practically the point. In his Mack Daddy schtick, money is less a thing to be had than spent and showed off, which he can apparently afford to do after a year in which he wrote and produced smash records for Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown and J. Holiday. Just check out Nash's Bottega Veneta sunglasses ("Mostly I like that they cost $400," he says), his Burberry and Louis Vuitton luggage, and the way he hands $20 to the doorman of his Midtown hotel as he steps out of a black Escalade following his appearance on "TRL."

At a time when the music business is falling apart, he and his partner, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, are raking in the dough, part of a small coterie of A-list producers who have become as important as the people for whom they write. Timbaland, who did hit records for Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, has become a successful solo artist with a platinum selling album. Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes (producer of hits for Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears) has branched out with a clothing line, called The Billionaire Boys Club; an upcoming collection of fine jewelry for Louis Vuitton, and a record label whose roster includes Snoop Dogg. Scott Storch, who's done records for Lil' Kim and 50 Cent, is worth $70 million, if a profile of him in Rolling Stone is to be believed. Nash, meanwhile, is running around New York promoting his own album, "Love Me All Summer, Hate Me All Winter," which he recorded in a whirlwind two-week stint a couple of months back. It's a collection of radio-friendly R&B songs about girls and loot. If he can sing about both at the same time — as he does on the Prince-inspired song "Fast Car" — even better.