| So So Def Recordings | |
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| Founded | 1993; 32 years ago (1993) |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Atlanta,Georgia, U.S. |
So So Def Recordings is an Americanrecord label based inAtlanta, Georgia, founded by producerJermaine Dupri in 1993. Specializing inSouthern hip hop,R&B, andbass music, the label has signed musical acts such asBow Wow,Kris Kross,Xscape,Dem Franchize Boyz,Anthony Hamilton,Jagged Edge,INOJ,J-Kwon, and theGhost Town DJ's.
So So Def was established in 1993 as a spin-off of Dupri's production company of the same moniker, through a joint venture withSony andColumbia. Its first act wasXscape, whose debut album was released in the fall of the same year and wentPlatinum—as did their 2nd and 3rd albums, released in 1995 and 1998. In 1994, the label released the debut album ofDa Brat, who became the 1st solo female emcee to be certified forPlatinum album sales. In 1996,Kandi Burruss broughtJagged Edge to the attention of the label; their debut album,A Jagged Era, was released in 1997. So So Def later released the triple platinum debut album by Lil' Bow Wow in 2000. Other acts on the label have included:Dem Franchise Boyz,Maestro Harrell,The Ghost Town DJs,INOJ,J-Kwon, Trina Broussard,3LW, andAnthony Hamilton.
In late 2002, So So Def's distribution deal with Columbia ended. The following year, Dupri moved So So Def toArista. While many of So So Def's acts moved with the label to Arista, Bow Wow and Jagged Edge were forced to remain at Columbia, due to their contracts having been with that company primarily. In 2004, per the re-consolidation of labels caused by the merger of its former Sony parent andBMG, So So Def was shifted from Arista toZomba.
In 2005, Dupri was appointed Executive Vice President of Urban Music atVirgin, causing So So Def to move again, this time over to Virgin andEMI—resulting in the loss ofBone Crusher andYoungBloodZ. So So Def, meanwhile, was able to retain J-Kwon and Anthony Hamilton, despite them still being signed to Zomba. In 2006, Dupri had a falling-out with Virgin, resulting in him leaving his post at the company. Intermittent, he was appointed President of urban music atUniversal'sIsland, resulting in So So Def once again making a move to UMG'sThe Island Def Jam.
In 2009, it was reported that Dupri had been terminated from his post at Island. Later in the same year, it was rumored that So So Def had moved back to Sony, where it reportedly operated under Zomba once more.[1] In 2010, Mississippi-based independent labelMalaco Records distributed So So Def's release of theWhy Did I Get Married Too? soundtrack.[2][3]
In 2014, So So Def partnered withPrimary Wave for the release ofJagged Edge's albumJ.E. Heartbreak 2. In June 2016, So So Def partnered with Epic for current distribution.[4] In 2024, Dupri signed a multi-year distribution deal withCreate Music Group for the So So Def label.[5]
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