Jermaine Dupri thinks ‘hip-hop is damaged and needs to be revived’

He is one of hip hop’s most famous artists/producers. So when Jermaine Dupri talks about culture, many people stop to listen. The So So Def icon has been in the industry for decades, shaping the careers of legendary hitmakers. His classics are still club favourites, and Dupri’s contribution is unparalleled.He deeply loves hip-hop’s ups and downs, but also has some criticisms he recently shared vibe.

During an interview with Dupri, vibe I asked him why he seems to have moved from hip-hop to mostly R&B in recent years. “I feel that hip-hop is definitely damaged and needs to be revived,” he said. We’ve had six top rappers from one person, and now the Atlanta artist is down to two top artists, Lil Baby and Future.”

READ MORE: Jermaine Dupri Responds to Beat-Stealing Claims in the ’90s: ‘Get F*** Out of Here Now’

Dupri added, “There’s still a lot of talent in town.” But the days of “top-notch” artists are past.

“Ludacris, Jeezy, 2 Chainz, Migos, Future, Lil Baby, I mean, at one point, they were all Atlanta. All the major rap artists came out of here,” he said. “It’s not about artists who just make records, it’s about No. 1 songs. Artists who feel like people define the game.”

“Rap to me got a little dated, but we never stopped making rap records,” said Dupri. He then shared plans to release a “rap project with Curren$y.”

READ MORE: Bow Wow Explains Jermaine Dupri’s Role in Career: ‘This Is Not a TV Show Rap Game’

Elsewhere, Dupri also spoke about impending rumors Verzuz Against Didi.

“Well, one Verzuz It is an East Coast-led platform in itself. Personally, people start going against me when Jermaine Dupri is mentioned in the same space as a New York producer, but I think that’s fair enough. A lot of the records I made might have been Southern records that you wouldn’t hear in the city. I used to be in New York a lot and I was like, ‘Damn, I got a number one record, but I haven’t heard my own record. Hot 97 It’s how it should be.”

He also claimed that during the “Bow Wow era” people underestimated his catalogue.

Do you agree with Jermaine Dupri’s assessment of the state of hip-hop?

[via]