3EB's Stephan Jenkins Gets Into
Hip-Hop Production

Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins is beefing up his resume.

A spokesperson for 3EB's record label, Elektra, confirms that the singer stepped into the producer's chair for the first time to handle the debut album from a San Francisco-based female hip-hop duo named the Braids.

The album is due to be released internationally on Atlantic Records this year, but a Stateside release date has not been set yet. When Third Eye Blind spoke with MTV News earlier this year, Jenkins and drummer Brad Hargreaves discussed the role that hip-hop and R&B has played in the 3EB sound.

"I love groups like the Clash and the Jane's Addiction records," Jenkins recently told MTV News when asked about his influences. "(Jane's frontman) Perry Farrell was really a hero for me, and I love Camper Van Beethoven. (Camper Van frontman) David Lowery was lyrically a really big influence on me. Also we listened to a lot of hip-hop [2 M Quicktime], at least I did, in the sense of lyrical flow, things like that."

"We listen to a lot of R&B, and we've been influenced by hip-hop I'd say a lot," Hargreaves added. "We listen to a lot of radio, and personally I'd say R&B is the biggest influence in terms of what I do in this band. Ohio Players, James Brown, that kind of thing."

After recently wrapping up more than a year's worth of touring, Third Eye Blind is currently taking a bit of a break. The band will play a few scattered dates in the coming weeks before launching its own headlining tour in June.