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Jermaine Dupri
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| Jermaine Dupri | |
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| Birth name | Jermaine Dupri Mauldin |
| Also known as | J.D. |
| Born | September 23 1972 (age 36) Asheville, North Carolina, USA |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter, rapper |
| Years active | 1992 - present |
| Label(s) | So So Def Recordings, Island Urban Music, TAG Records1 |
Jermaine Dupri, also known as JD, (born September 23 1972) 2 , is an American record producer, rapper and Grammy winning songwriter. He is also known as Bow Wow's mentor.
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Music career
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Dupri has pursued a recording career of his own resulting in hits such as "Money Ain't a Thang" (1998, with Jay-Z), "Welcome to Atlanta" (2001, with Ludacris), "It's like That" (2005, with Mariah Carey), "Get Ur Head Out Your Ass Playboy" (2000, with Shade Sheist), and "Gotta Getcha" featuring Johnta Austin.
He became involved in a dispute against Eminem and Dr. Dre in 2002. This beef is mainly between Dr Dre and Jermaine Dupri, but Eminem has stuck up for Dre, and along with Xzibit, joined the beef against Jermaine Dupri. It all started when Jermaine Dupri claimed that he was the best producer in the game, claiming he was better than Dre and Timbaland during an interview with XXL magazine. Dre retaliated in Eminem's song, "Say What You Say", saying: "Been here longer than anyone in the game And I ain't got to lie about my age (But what about Jermaine?) F**k Jermaine! He don't belong speakin mine or Timbaland's name And don't think, I don't read your lil' interviews, and see what you're sayin I'm a giant, and I ain't gotta move 'til I'm provoked When I see you I'ma step on you and not even know it You midget, Mini-Me with a bunch of little Mini-Yous runnin around your backyard swimmin pools Over 80 million records sold And I ain't have to do it with ten or eleven-year-olds."3 At the end of the song, Timbaland can be heard saying "Yo, this's Timbaland. Tell him I said 'suck my dick'"
Dupri also worked on various other Mariah Carey songs including My All Stay Awhile in 1998 and Always Be My Baby in 1996.
So So Def, a label specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B, and bass music, was originally distributed through Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment. In 2003, Dupri was appointed president of Arista Black Music and moved So So Def and its artists there. In 2004, Dupri was appointed President of Urban Music at Virgin Records and moved So So Def over to Virgin. Meanwhile, Dupri also expanded his business ventures, buying into Chicago-based distillery 3 Vodka and opening his own boutique restaurant, Cafe Dupri.
In 2004 and 2005, Dupri worked with R&B singers Usher and Mariah Carey on their releases, Confessions and The Emancipation of Mimi. He also produced the songs "Burn", "Confessions, Pt. 2" and the remix featuring Kanye West, Shyne, and Twista, and "My Boo" with Usher and "It's like That", "We Belong Together", "Shake It Off", "Get Your Number", and "Don't Forget About Us" with Carey. He produced the track "Radio" for young R&B singer Jarvis, but didn't release the album because his label was in transition with the distributor. He has also produced singles with J-Kwon ("Tipsy"citation needed) and Dem Franchize Boyz. In addition he has worked with St. Louis rappers, Nelly, Chinky, & St. Lunatics.
Dupri's 2005 single, "Gotta Getcha" featuring Johnta Austin, is featured on the July 2005 release Jermaine Dupri presents...Young, Fly & Flashy, Vol. 1. The album is a compilation of tracks produced by and featuring Dupri. So far, "Gotta Getcha" has peaked at #60 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The controversial music video for the song features his girlfriend, singer Janet Jackson, in an x-rated peep show club. On August 9, 2006, Dupri was listed among the top ten richest people in hip hop.4 He continues to work with artists including Jay-Z ("Money Ain't a Thang"), Ludacris ("Welcome to Atlanta"), and Warren G ("Havin' Thangs"). He has released Daz Dillinger's album, So So Gangsta, in 2006. It includes production by Dupri, Scott Storch, and Daz.
Dupri also worked with Jackson on her album titled 20 Y.O., released September 26, 2006, which was not as successful as much as Jackson's previous albums. The album's commercial underperformance led Dupri, who accused Virgin of improperly handling its urban releases, to leave his position at Virgin Urban Music. He became the head of Island Records' urban division instead; So So Def releases are now issued through Island Urban Music. Janet Jackson followed Dupri from Virgin to Island as well. As of March 2008, his So So Def/Island Urban roster includes himself, Jagged Edge, Johnta Austin, and Rocko.
Singer Monica's album, The Makings of Me, features production from Jermaine Dupri with the lead single "Everytime tha Beat Drop". He has also produced multiple tracks on Jay-Z's concept album American Gangster.
On October 16, 2007, : The Making of a Music Mogul, an autobiography that charts his career as a producer. The book was co-written with Samantha Marshall and released in hardcover by Simon & Schuster's Atria imprint. The New York Post reported on February 28, 2008 that Dupri proposed to Janet Jackson, and that the couple are busy planning their wedding as well as recording a handful of songs for her new album Discipline.
He was featured on Nelly's new single "Stepped On My J'z", which features himself and Ciara. The single's video debuted on June 11 on Access Granted.
Discography
- 1996: 12 Soulful Nights of Christmas
- 1998: Life in 1472
- 2001: Instructions
- 2005: Young, Fly & Flashy, Vol. 1
- TBA: Young, Fly & Flashy, Vol. 2