Jermaine Dupri: The Little Man With Big Accomplishments

Behind every rap song that has a catchy chorus and memorable lyrics by a rapper, there is another important ingredient that drives the record as a hit. This portion of the recipe is the beat, which is a huge factor that captivates the listener. The person who creates and mixes the beat and track overall is the producer. What would Hip Hop or any genre of music be like if there weren’t producers who provided the sound? Producers as musicians can be some of the most creative individuals artistically. The producer can be arguably more significant than the rapper when it comes to composing a holistic body of work. There has been a galore of Hip Hop producers who have made their mark on the music industry. Every region in rap music has its legendary producers who have provided the sound to get their area recognition. East Coast Hip Hop has had the likes of DJ Premier, Swizz Beatz, and RZA just to name a few who have helped to develop their musical style in the past. On the West Side figures like Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, and Daz Dillinger contributed to the gangsta rap and gangsta-funk beats that were so popular in the 1990s. Artists like Kanye West, No I.D. and DJ Hi-Tek assisted in helping fans notice the Mid West. Even beat makers like Mannie Fresh, DJ Paul & Juicy J, and Timbaland have made the South a hot bed sonically in a region that’s driven by the bass.

There have also been countless underrated producers whose contributions to rap and urban music in general have gone unrecognized at times. One producer in my opinion who falls under this category is Jermaine Dupri. After recently watching his 20^th Anniversary Concert for his record label So So Def, I thought to myself wow this dude really has a rich discography of produced material. Every artist who performed at the event where people he has produced for and protégés on his label. Some of the biggest celebrities blessed the stage at the show like Usher, Ludacris, Mariah Carey, and even Jay-Z. His successes have been numerous over the last few decades in the music industry not only as a producer but as a record label owner. 

Jermaine Dupri got his start in the business at a very young age. He is the son of Michael Mauldin who is a music producer also and a former president at Columbia Records. So I guess it’s only inevitable that he would’ve gravitated towards the entertainment field at some point in his life. At the age of 12 in the mid 1980s, he was a dancer for the once popular rap group Whodini. He also made an appearance in the video for their well known song “Freaks Come Out At Night.” In 1990 he produced his first act Silk Tymes Leather, a female rap trio.  Although the bunch flopped commercially, future prosperity came for Jermaine shortly after. The following year in 1991, he put together the duo Kris Kross after meeting them in an Atlanta mall. Kris Kross released their debut album in 1992 entitled Totally Krossed Out with Jermaine producing and writing the entire project. Their 1^st single “Jump” was a huge hit record on the pop charts. The song also became the 2^nd rap record to go #1 on the pop charts after Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby.” “Jump” spent eight consecutive weeks at #1 causing the single to receive multi-platinum certification. Totally Krossed Out went on the sell over four million copies making the then 13 year old duo Hip Hop’s youngest sensation.

 

The success of Jermaine’s protégé Kris Kross resulted in him starting his own record label So So Def Records in 1993. With the launch of the business, So So Def became one of the most successful urban record labels in mainstream music throughout the 1990s. After establishing himself as a rap talent scout, Jermaine showed his versatility by putting out the R&B quartet Xscape. Xscape’s debut album Hummin’ Comin’ At ‘Cha, was the 1^st release on the So So Def label in 1993. The project which Jermaine wrote and produced for became a platinum success. The LP spawned the two singles “Understanding” and “Just Kickin’ It,” which were huge hits on both the pop and urban charts. Xscape followed up Hummin’ Comin’ At ‘Cha with two more solo albums that also went platinum in the mid and late 1990s.

Jermaine’s So So Def label achieved some more unprecedented success in 1994. During this year, he brought forth to the mainstream his 1^st rap protégé Da Brat from his record company. Da Brat, who is a female rapper, began her career with Jermaine two years prior in 1992 when she won a local rap contest sponsored by Yo! MTV Raps. Yo! MTV Raps at the time was the most popular television program that showcased rap music videos. Winning the contest gave Da Brat the opportunity to meet Kris Kross, who introduced her to Jermaine. From this she was signed to So So Def, and her rap image was cultivated as a “female Snoop Dogg.” In 1994, Da Brat released her debut album Funkdafied, which was the second release from So So Def. The piece of work became the 1^st rap album to go platinum by a female rapper, and was entirely produced by Jermaine. Da Brat’s success continued throughout the 1990s with some maintained relevance. As an artist along with Xscape and Jermaine’s other R&B quartet Jagged Edge, Da Brat helped to establish So So Def as a legit music entity for the rest of the 1990s decade. This type of success with developing new talent in urban music proved that Jermaine was a creative genius.

During his reign with So So Def in the 1990s, Jermaine further established himself as a go to producer in rap and R&B music outside of his record company. He produced various remixes to commercial singles by artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Mariah Carey and Total. He went on to produce original songs for artists like TLC, Lil Kim, Aaliyah and Mase who all had mass popularity during this time period.

 

One artist in particular he provided the sound for to assist in him becoming a superstar entertainer is Usher. From the late 1990s on into the 21^st Century he produced numerous chart toppers for the R&B singer. After his debut LP failed to create any huge hits, Usher broke into the pop mainstream with his second album My Way in 1997. My Way spawned three huge Top 5 hits on the pop charts with “You Make Me Wanna,” “Nice & Slow,” and “My Way.” All three of these records were produced by Jermaine. “Nice & Slow” became Usher’s first #1 hit on the pop charts helping to solidify him as a musical phenomenon. My Way also went on to sell over six million copies showing that Usher found his match in a producer that could give him a signature sound. In the 2000s, the chemistry between the producer and singer duo of Usher and Jermaine Dupri was very evident with impactful songs. Jermaine went on to produce four out of eight #1 pop hits four Usher during this decade. The height of their success came in 2004 when three of the produced #1 hits were notable singles on Usher’s 4^th LP Confessions. All three songs which were “Confessions Part II,” “Burn,” and “My Boo,” caused the Confessions album to sell over 10 million records domestically. The body of work also went to sell over 20 million records worldwide. Producing for such a monumental album conveyed that Jermaine was a go to guy for mainstream popularity as a composer.

This kind of momentum was even more evident with his production work for Mariah Carey in 2005. After Mariah received both negative critical and commercial reception to her early 2000s albums Glitter and Charmbracelet, she recruited Jermaine to play a part in her career turn around. Jermaine created four Top 40 pop hits for The Emancipation Of Mimi project that made Mariah a force to be reckoned with like she was throughout the entire 1990s. Jermaine added two more #1 pop hits to his production resume for Mariah with “We Belong Together” and “Don’t Forget About Us.” Another Top 5 record entitled “Shake It Off” from the same album ruled the charts and airwaves also. All of these singles resulted in The Emancipation Of Mimi being one of the most successful comeback albums in music history. The album sold over six million copies, and was the highest selling album out of any music genre in 2005. Working on such projects like The Emancipation Of Mimi and Confessions arguably made Jermaine the most significant producer in the mid 2000s commercially. 

With So So Def in the 2000s, Jermaine enjoyed even more success with his protégés and artists he brought forth to the public eye that he produced for also. Capitalizing off his success with young talent like Kris Kross and Da Brat in the 1990s, he presented another teenage act to the world in the early 2000s. The introduction of Lil’ Bow Wow resulted in the new artist becoming the 1^st urban heartthrob for the teenybopper demographic in the new millennium. Lil’ Bow Wow released his 1^st album Beware Of Dog in 2000 showcasing two Top 20 pop hits with “Bounce With Me” and “Bow Wow (That’s My Name).” Both singles were produced by Jermaine helping the then 13 year old receive double platinum certification with his debut album. Jermaine continued to produce other hits for Bow Wow in the 2000s decade solidifying the young man’s career.

  

The landscape of mainstream Hip Hop changed in the 2000s with its migration to the South. The epicenter of the Southern movement was the city of Atlanta, which is also the hometown of Jermaine and is where So So Def is located. So it’s only proper that Jermaine dug into that same talent pool in his back yard. Emerging Atlanta rappers like Bone Crusher, Dem Franchise Boyz, and Rocko all released albums on the So So Def label throughout the 2000s decade. Even the popular soul singer Anthony Hamilton was brought forth to the forefront for R&B listeners on So So Def. All of these projects extended the legacy of the record label and Jermaine also. Even  Atlanta native Lil Jon, who was an A&R and intern at So So Def from 1993-2000, got his start in the music industry with Jermaine before coming into his own as a producer/artist.

All of these achievements from Jermaine Dupri as a producer in urban and pop music and as a record label owner with So So Def Records make him worthy of proper praise in the industry. Although his height is a small stature of 5’4, you can’t discredit a music creator who has produced nine #1 hits on the pop charts. His catalogue can be put up against any Hip Hop and R&B producer with legendary status.