Jermaine Dupri | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Dupri in 2012 | |
| Born | Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (1972-09-23)September 23, 1972 (age 52) |
| Other names | Don Chi Chi |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Works | |
| Partner | Janet Jackson (2002–2009)[3] |
| Children | 2 |
| Father | Michael Mauldin |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Atlanta,Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Ocean's 7 |
| Website | global14 |
Musical artist | |
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer.[4][5] Raised inAtlanta,Georgia as the son ofColumbia Records executiveMichael Mauldin, he began his career in music production at the age of nine. He discovered the teenhip-hop duoKris Kross in 1991. Dupri wrote and produced their 1992 single "Jump," which peaked atop theBillboard Hot 100 and was named the 23rd most successful song of that decade. He established his own record label,So So Def Recordings, in a joint venture with Columbia the following year.
Dupri has since signed artists includingXscape,Bow Wow,Da Brat,Jagged Edge,Dem Franchize Boyz,YoungBloodZ, andAnthony Hamilton to the label. Meanwhile, he worked withMariah Carey,Usher,Monica, andNelly to produce a total of11 chart-topping singles on theBillboard Hot 100. As a recording artist himself, Dupri's debut studio album,Life in 1472 (1998), peaked at number three on theBillboard 200 and was supported by the top 40 single "The Party Continues" (featuring Usher and Da Brat) and theGrammy Award-nominated "Money Ain't a Thang" (featuringJay-Z). His second album,Instructions (2001) peaked at number 15 on theBillboard 200 and spawned his second top 40 single, "Welcome to Atlanta" (featuringLudacris).
In 2013, Dupri replacedRandy Jackson as Mariah Carey'stalent manager. He co-created the reality television seriesThe Rap Game withQueen Latifah in 2015. He has won a Grammy Award from 12 nominations.
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972,[2] inAsheville, North Carolina, the son of Tina (Mosley) andMichael Mauldin, aColumbia Records executive,[6] and grew up inCollege Park, Georgia.[7] Dupri's artistic career began when he was nine years old. His father, an Atlanta talent manager, had coordinated aDiana Ross show in 1982; to the delight of concert-goers, Dupri managed to get on-stage and dance along with Ross.[8] Dupri got his start as a dancer for the hip-hop groupWhodini when he was twelve.[2][9] He made an appearance in their music video for the song "Freaks Come Out at Night".[10][11] He began performing around the country, appearing withHerbie Hancock andCameo before he opened the New York Fresh Festival, withRun-D.M.C.,Whodini, andGrandmaster Flash.[8]
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In 1990, he produced his first act, the female hip-hop trio Silk Tymes Leather.[2][12] He later formed the teen duoKris Kross (Chris Kelly and Chris Smith) after meeting the boys at a local mall in 1991.[13] The group's first album,Totally Krossed Out, was released in 1992 and went multi-platinum due to the success of their singles "Jump" and "Warm It Up", both written and produced by Dupri. He established his own record label calledSo So Def in 1993. Shortly after, he discovered female R&B groupXscape at a festival in Atlanta and signed them to the label. Their debut album,Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha, produced entirely by Dupri, went platinum with the support of the singles "Understanding", "Love on My Mind", "Tonight" and "Just Kickin' It", with the latter peaking at number 2 on theBillboard Hot 100. During the same year, onYo! MTV Raps, he metDa Brat through Kris Kross and signed her to his labelSo So Def Recordings, releasing her debutFunkdafied (1994) which went platinum. So So Def Recordings entered into a distribution partnership withColumbia Records in 1993. In 1995, he collaborated withMariah Carey for the first time on the number one hit single "Always Be My Baby." He contributed toLil' Kim's 1996 album,Hard Core on the track "Not Tonight". That same year, he produced and co-wrote singles for MC Lyte ("Keep On, Keepin' On"), The Braxtons ("So Many Ways"), and Whodini ("Keep Running Back"). Also in 1996, Dupri linked up with Kris Kross one last time for theirthird and final studio album, producing the entire album, as well as its moderately successful singles ("Tonite's tha Night" and "Live and Die for Hip Hop").
In 1997, Dupri co-wrote and produced several tracks onUsher's second album,My Way. The lead single, "You Make Me Wanna", reached number-one on theRhythmic Top 40 andHot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. The follow-up single "Nice & Slow" went to number-one on theBillboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and the last single, "My Way" peaked at number-two onBillboard Hot 100. All three singles have been certified Platinum byRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). A featured guest on the album,Monica, would also later become a protégé of Dupri, with her second album,The Boy Is Mine, dropping in July of 1998. Dupri produced the single of the album "The First Night", which peaked atop the U.S.Billboard charts, with the album receiving triple platinum certification and universal acclaim from critics.
In 1998, Jermaine Dupri was involved in the release ofDestiny's Child's eponymousdebut album, producing and co-writing the track "With Me Part I". Dupri renewed the focus on his own music career, which proved successful with release of the singles "Sweetheart" featuring Mariah Carey (US#126), "The Party Continues" featuring Da Brat and Usher (U.S. #26), and "Money Ain't a Thang" featuringJay-Z (U.S. #52),[14] the three singles from his debut studio albumLife in 1472. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month and half after release. Also that year he met soon-to-be frequent collaborator and production partnerBryan-Michael Cox, as well as 11-year-old rapper, known then asLil' Bow Wow and signed him toSo So Def Recordings. The two would later part ways after only 2 albums, but continued to frequently collaborate on later projects. The distribution deal with Columbia was terminated in 2002, with Dupri switching toArista Records in 2003. Dupri worked onTamar Braxton's debut album,Tamar on the track "Get None" as well as withWeezer andLil Wayne on the song "Can't Stop Partying." He also collaborated with DJ Chuckie to make a vocal version of the song "Let The Bass Kick". He soon released his sophomore studio albumInstructions in October 2001, featuring the single "Welcome to Atlanta", and containing a myriad of features (similar to his debut).
In 2004, Dupri connected again withUsher contributing toConfessions co-writing and co-producing three consecutive singlesBillboard Hot 100 number one songs "Burn", "Confessions Part II", and "My Boo".[15] Confessions wonBest Contemporary R&B Album andBest R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Confessions has been certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and, as of 2012, has sold 10 million copies in the US and over 20 million copies worldwide.[16]
In early 2005, Dupri reunited withMariah Carey on her tenth studio albumThe Emancipation Of Mimi, which features the massive smash hit "We Belong Together". The album also featured the hit singles "It's Like That", "Shake It Off", and "Don't Forget About Us". "We Belong Together" stayed at number one for fourteen non-consecutive weeks, becoming the second longest running number one song in US chart history, behind Carey's 1996 collaboration withBoyz II Men on "One Sweet Day". We Belong Together" won Grammy's forBest Female R&B Vocal Performance andBest R&B Song. Later in 2005, when he worked onWanted with Bow Wow, he co-produced and co-wrote the Hot 100 top 5 singles "Let Me Hold You" and "Like You". That December, Dupri produced and co-wroteNelly's single "Grillz", which struck atop theBillboard charts yet again.
In early 2006, Dupri signed bothDem Franchize Boyz andDaz Dillinger to his label So So Def after transferring it from Arista Records toVirgin Records. The latter's album,So So Gangsta, was released in September of that year, while the former's label debut was released the following year with the albumOn Top of Our Game which topped the US Top Rap Albums with the hit songs "I Think They Like Me" and "Lean wit It, Rock wit It." The group also featured alongside Dupri onMonica'ssnap single, "Everytime tha Beat Drop" (U.S. #48) off her fifth album,The Makings of Me. In late 2006, Dupri executive produced the album20 Y.O. by his then-partner,Janet Jackson, co-producing and co-writing half the tracklist and all of the singles. He returned for her ninth album,Discipline in 2008, producing the single "Rock With U".
In 2007, Dupri produced singles for Paul Wall ("I'm Throwed"), Donell Jones ("Better Start Talking"), Bone Thugs-n-Harmony ("Lil' L.O.V.E."), as well as multiple tracks for labelmate Jagged Edge. In October 2007, he published his memoir, "Young, Rich and Dangerous: The Making of a Music Mogul" (via Atria Books). In November 2007, he co-produced and co-wrote withSo So Def internNo I.D. onJay-Z's tenth studio albumAmerican Gangster, contributing to the songs "Success" and "Fallin".
In 2008, Dupri reunited with Usher, Mariah Carey, and then-girlfriend Janet Jackson for their respective studio albums (Here I Stand,E=MC2, andDiscipline respectively) producing multiple tracks on each. He also produced singles for Ashanti ("Good Good") and Nelly ("Stepped On My J'z").
In 2009, Dupri produced singles for Fabolous ("Money Goes, Honey Stay [When the Money Goes Remix]") and Bow Wow ("Roc The Mic").
On October 7, 2013, he replacedRandy Jackson as Mariah Carey's talent manager.[17] He later parted ways with Carey in August 2014,[18] though they still maintain a professional relationship, as he was a producer on nearly all of her albums sinceDaydream (1995).
In 2014, Dupri produced multiple tracks for Mariah Carey and Jagged Edge on their respective albums (Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse andJ.E. Heartbreak 2).
In 2015, Dupri andQueen Latifah created a reality television series,The Rap Game. The eight-episode series premiered onLifetime on New Year's Day, 2016. It followed five emerging artists, ages 11–16, who were immersed in the Atlanta hip-hop scene in a quest to become a rap star.[19] Dupri was joined by guests including Usher, Ludacris, Da Brat,T.I. andSilentó; they gave the competitors advice on what it takes to be in the industry.[20]
In 2018, he was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame.[21] This made Dupri the second musician from the hip-hop genre to be inducted, with only Jay-Z being inducted prior.
Also in 2018, Jermaine Dupri and his "So So Def" brand celebrated an exhibit at theGrammy Museum in Los Angeles, California called,Jermaine Dupri & So So Def, 25 Years Of Elevating Culture.[22]
In 2022, Dupri produced "If I Get Caught" with R&B duoDvsn. On 9 February 2024, Dupri released the single "This Lil' Game We Play", featuringNelly,Ashanti andJuicy J.[23][24][25]
He has two daughters; his eldest daughter, Shaniah Mauldin, with Pam Sweat, appeared on the reality TV showGrowing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta.[26][27][28]
From 2002 to 2009, Dupri was involved in a romantic relationship with singerJanet Jackson, which resulted in a brief musical connection.
Dupri isvegan and promoted the lifestyle through aPETA ad, encouraging fans to "Feel the beets. Lose the meats."[29]
Dupri endorsedKamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election.[30]
Studio albums
Grammy Awards[31]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Daydream(as producer) | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 1999 | Life in 1472 | Best Rap Album | Nominated |
| "Money Ain't a Thang" | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Nominated | |
| 2000 | FanMail(as producer) | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2005 | Confessions(as producer) | Nominated | |
| "My Boo" | Best R&B Song | Nominated | |
| "Burn" | Nominated | ||
| 2006 | The Emancipation of Mimi(as producer) | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| "We Belong Together"(as producer and songwriter) | Record of the Year | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best R&B Song | Won | ||
| 2007 | "Don't Forget About Us" | Nominated |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |