[ad_1]
Jermaine Dupri’s father was a record executive, so he grew up around hip-hop, going to shows in the single digits. However, he started his career as a dancer at the age of 12 with his Whodini, the group behind ‘Freaks Come Out at Night’.
“[I was] I just thought I’d do the opening for a show that was coming to Atlanta,” the hitmaker told me on this week’s “Renaissance Man.” I basically stepped into the world of hip-hop… I had the opportunity to live and tour in this world from 1984, 85, 86. Run-DMC, Fat Boys, Kurtis Blow. , and all these people I was only 12 years old.
Once inside the wall, he could absorb everything, like the robot in the wacky 1986 film Short Circuit, and read multiple books in seconds.
“If anyone knows what it is, I think I looked like Johnny 5 the robot. What it looks like is… I just ran around and went everywhere I could to get this information. And you know, I was taught how to DJ [late Run-DMC DJ] I was actually there the first night Jam Master Jay … Def Jam introduced LL Cool J.
With hip-hop celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Atlanta’s role in the art form and culture cannot be disputed. Jermaine said that when he was growing up, the city wasn’t the music hub it is today. Of course, we can thank people like LA Reid and his Babyface. But Jermaine was there first, shaping the ATL sound as a teenage producer.
He discovered early ’90s rap sensation Chris Kloss in his early teens and wrote and produced their mega-hit songs “Jump” and “Warm It Up.” It made him impossible to ignore and spurred him to create his own label.
“The first group I signed was Xscape. Based on what I saw with Chris Kross, there was an R&B group that I wanted to put out first, not a rap group, so people looked like I was crazy. At that point, I wanted people to know that I was more versatile.”
Mission complete. He went on to work with Usher, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, Monica, Nas, and more. In 2002, he released “Welcome to Atlanta”, featuring Ludacris. Not only was it another trophy for him on the mantelpiece of his rapping career, but it was also an exclamation point to Atlanta’s status as Southern’s hip-hop hub.
However, Jermaine is an ambassador for all things Atlanta, not just music. He promotes the city’s exports, especially Pinky Cole, the flamboyant CEO of his popular restaurant chain Slutty Vegan.
“I’ve been vegan for 19 years, and I told her how inspired I was to see her take her company from a food truck to a $100 million business.” I said, “Jermaine, I have one thing to say. You called me into the studio one night. Here comes Snoop.” She gathered her employees and brought food to the studio.
“Snoop tasted it and she got a video of Snoop eating a Slutty Vegan Burger. And after that video Snoop did, her business skyrocketed,” she said. Not surprisingly, his favorite flavor is “Welcome to Atlanta, Peach Cobbler.”
And in keeping with his hometown theme, he said he can expect a special episode of “Verzuz”, where he’ll be battling Bad Boy Entertainment’s honcho Diddy.
“People want it. You know, New York wanted to go against Atlanta. Atlanta, they want to go against New York. This is [like the] Rivalry with Hawks and Knicks.
And to join the musical battle with the catalog of great songs he’s written, I had to ask for his top five. he answered without hesitation. His list: “Money Ain’t a Thang” with Jay-Z, Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna”, his work “Welcome to Atlanta”, Mariah Carey’s two hits “Always” Be My Baby” and “We Belong Together”. ”
“We say ‘We Belong Together’ because it’s been said that Mariah coming back like her was the biggest comeback in music history. I don’t really think so. But, I’m out of line with what people say and I feel like the song itself was from this decade and I don’t think I’ll ever pick up a 2000s song again.”
But when it comes to Jermaine, we can’t say for sure.
Detroit native Jalen Rose was part of the iconoclastic Fab Five at the University of Michigan, rocking the world of college hoops in the early ’90s. He played his 13 seasons in the NBA before transitioning to a media personality. Rose is an analyst on NBA Countdown and Get Up, and co-host of Jalen & Jacoby. He is executive producer of ESPN’s “30 for 30” series “The Fab Five”, author of the best-selling book “Got To Give the People What They Want”, fashion tastemaker and , co-founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. , a public charter school in his hometown.
[ad_2]
Source link
