Jermaine Dupri

Jermaine Dupri
Dupri in 2012
Born
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin

(1972-09-23) September 23, 1972 (age 52)
Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.[1][2]
Other namesDon Chi Chi
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • DJ
  • record executive
  • entrepreneur
Years active1984–present
Works
PartnerJanet Jackson (2002–2009)[3]
Children2
FatherMichael Mauldin
AwardsFull list
Musical career
OriginAtlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Labels
Member ofOcean's 7
Websiteglobal14.com

Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive.[4][5] Raised in Atlanta as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music production at the age of nine. He discovered the teen hip hop duo Kris Kross in 1991. Dupri wrote and produced their 1992 single "Jump," which peaked atop the Billboard 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 including Xscape, Bow Wow, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Dem Franchize Boyz, YoungBloodZ, and Anthony Hamilton to the label. Meanwhile, he worked with Mariah Carey, Usher, Monica, and Nelly to produce a total of 11 chart-topping singles on the Billboard Hot 100. As a recording artist himself, Dupri's debut studio album, Life in 1472 (1998) peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the top 40 single "The Party Continues" (featuring Usher and Da Brat) and the Grammy Award-nominated "Money Ain't a Thang" (featuring Jay-Z). His second album, Instructions (2001) peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and spawned his second top 40 single, "Welcome to Atlanta" (featuring Ludacris).

In 2013, Dupri replaced Randy Jackson as Mariah Carey's talent manager. He co-created the reality television series, The Rap Game with Queen Latifah in 2015. He has won a Grammy Award from a total of 12 nominations.

  1. ^ Durham, Ruby (October 21, 2021). "10 icons to be inducted into North Carolina Music Hall of Fame". WCNC.com. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference georgiaencyclopedia1972 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Jermaine Dupri Reveals His Relationship Status With Janet Jackson". Bet.com. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  4. ^ "Jermaine Dupri Presents Life in 1472 Review". EW.com. July 31, 1998. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  5. ^ "Jermaine Dupri : Black Entrepreneurs, Black CEO, Black Executive, Black Billionaires, Entrepreneur Profile". Blackentrepreneurprofile.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2013.