Jermaine Dupri

Jermaine Dupri is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive who also works as a producer. He was raised in Atlanta, where his father worked for Columbia Records, and he was performing by the time he was nine. After dancing for Whodini, he formed the teenage duo Kris Kross in 1991 and wrote and produced their hit Jump, which topped the Billboard Hot 100. He started his own label, So So Def Recordings, in 1993 and signed artists such as Xscape, Da Brat, Bow Wow, Jagged Edge and Anthony Hamilton. His production work with Mariah Carey, Usher, Monica and Nelly resulted in eleven singles that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album, Life in 1472 (1998), hit number three on the Billboard 200. He co-created the reality series The Rap Game with Queen Latifah, has won one Grammy from twelve nominations, and in 2018 became an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.