Jermaine Dupri

Born in Asheville, North Carolina and raised in the Atlanta area, Jermaine Dupri quickly established himself within the Southern hip-hop ecosystem, first as a dancer for Whodini before moving into production, writing and rapping. His trajectory shifted at the beginning of the 1990s with Kris Kross, whom he wrote and produced the hit Jump in 1992, followed by the founding of the So So Def label, a central pillar in the emergence of an Atlanta scene blending hip-hop, R&B and urban pop. Jermaine Dupri then worked with artists such as Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge or Bow Wow, while developing a sound based on tight rhythms, well-constructed choruses and a constant dialogue between rap and R&B. Producer and songwriter, Jermaine Dupri also collaborated with Usher, Mariah Carey, Monica, Janet Jackson or Nelly, with a prominent place in American R&B of the 1990s and 2000s. In parallel, he pursued a career under his own name with the albums Life in 1472 (1998) and Instructions (2001), which extended this aesthetic between mainstream rap, Southern grooves and radio-friendly formats. More recently, Jermaine Dupri has continued his activities as producer, label executive and television personality, notably around The Rap Game, while remaining associated with Atlanta's musical history.