Exclusive: Jermaine Dupri Celebrates 25 Years of So So Def

It’s undeniable that Jermaine Dupri and his So So Def imprint have laid hands on some of the most enduring artists in the business, running the gamut from Hip Hop, to Soul and R&B as well as Pop icons like Mariah Carey. Hip Hop icon Da Brat can lay claim to being one of the most recognizable voices in the industry even today and she’s got never ending barz to boot! This year is a benchmark for Dupri, the So So Def brand and the artists who developed and excelled under his hand all coming together for a 25 year celebration on the “So So Def Cultural Curren$y Tour” which lifts off this October in our nation’s capital Washington, D. C., culminating in a grand finale at LA’s Staples Center this November.

Jermaine Dupri (Photo: So So Def)

With all due respect, Steve Harvey has his idea of a great music collection and so do those of us who’ve had the pleasure of partying and being soothed by the So So Def roster over the past quarter century. Sony Music’s Certified Classics, Legacy Recordings just dropped the So So Def essential hit’s compilation digitally and if it was on vinyl, I’d gamble a couple bucks there’d be a line around the block of local records stores similar to a sneaker release to get this on wax! However, since we are in the digital age, you can cop it on apple music https://certified.lnk.to/SoSoDef25/applemusic…I got mine!!!

The backstory: It started with two 12-year-olds who wore their pants backward by the name of “Kris Kross” whose single “Jump” soared to #1 on the pop charts for 8 weeks and introduced the mainstream world to the man who would become the legendary hall of fame, songwriting, recording artist, TV star and producer Jermaine Dupri. Now, he is gearing up for his iconic label’s 25th Anniversary with the So So Def Cultural Curren$y Tour.

With 400 million record sales and counting, wunderkind and super-producer Jermaine Dupri can tout all of this and more as he prepares to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his legacy via his upcoming national Fall Tour, AEG Presents The So So Def “Cultural Curren$y Tour.” Jermaine is headlining the tour along with Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Bow Wow, Anthony Hamilton, Bone Crusher, Youngbloodz, Dem Franchize Boyz, and J-Kwon. Celebrating the milestone, Sony Music’s Certified Classics, Legacy Recordings division (which celebrates Sony Music’s Hip Hop and R&B catalog), recently released the essential digital hits compilation, titled Jermaine Dupri Presents So So Def 25.

After Kris Kross, Dupri would have a hand in developing iconic songs and acts such as Mariah Carey on “The Emancipation Of Mimi” with the smash hit “We Belong Together.” The track stayed at #1 for fourteen weeks, becoming the second longest running number one song in U.S. chart history. “We Belong Together” won Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song – giving Jermaine his first Grammy Award, as well as ASCAP’s Song of the Decade Award, and earned him an induction to the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame this past June, with Jermaine being only the second hip-hop artist in history to receive this award.

Dupri wrote a successful memoir (2007) “Young, Rich and Dangerous: The Making of a Music Mogul” and went on to co-produce and co-write with No I.D Jay-Z’s tenth studio album “American Gangster.” Aside from Jermaine being a music mogul, hitmaking songwriter and producer, Dupri then went on to become a successful TV producer, teaming up with Queen Latifah to create a hit reality television series for Lifetime in 2016 called, The Rap Game. It’s Lifestime’s #1 show and continues to be a huge success 5 seasons later discovering such acts as Miss Mulatto, Mani, Nova and Street Bud.

The Hype Magazine got Mr. Dupri on the line to weigh in on a few things and the quite unassuming superstar made a point to indicate he never saw himself or the brand coming this far and still being a global powerhouse and influencer this long. If there was any display of personal pride, it was when we discussed his 2018 induction to the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and getting to meet the legendary duo of Gamble and Huff who gave him a mega co-sign saying “Man your are BAD!!!”

Tune in to the conversation below, it was a blast and one I never dreamed would come my way until a couple days ago! ~ JD

Here’s the official line on the compilation release and the historic tour!

Jermaine Dupri Announces So So Def 25th Anniversary CULTURAL CURREN$Y TOUR

Jermaine Dupri headlines the tour with So So Def icons including award-winning artists Xscape, Anthony Hamilton, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Bow Wow, Dem Franchize Boyz, Bone Crusher, J-Kwon and Youngbloodz across the U.S. this fall

Grammy Award-winning Producer, Hall of Fame Songwriter, recording artist, and TV star Jermaine Dupri, has been writing and producing platinum hit records for more than 25 years. Celebrating the legacy and quarter century of success with his record label, So So Def Recordings, Dupri is bringing all his artists together on one stage for an exclusive performance, as AEG Presents The So So Def 25th Anniversary CULTURAL CURREN$Y TOUR. Joining Jermaine on the tour will be the So So Def Family, including Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Bow Wow, Anthony Hamilton, Bone Crusher, Youngbloodz, Dem Franchize Boyz, and J-Kwon.

Tickets for the tour, which begins in October, hit sale Friday, Aug 3rd. For further information visit www.sosodef.com or check your local listings.

To kick off the Anniversary, Sony Music’s Certified Classics, Legacy Recording’s division for the celebration of Sony Music’s Hip Hop and R&B catalogue, recently released the essential digital hits compilation, titled Jermaine Dupri Presents So So Def 25. The compilation includes So So Def classics such as Da Brat’s “Funkdafied”, Xscape’s “Just Kickin‘ It”, Dupri’s own “Money Aint A Thang (feat. Jay-Z)” and many more, plus rare tracks featuring Kanye West and The Notorious B.I.G. The compilation, curated by Dupri to align with the tour, further celebrates his iconic Atlanta based record label & brand, So So Def.

You can purchase the compilation at https://certified.lnk.to/SoSoDef25/applemusic.

Jermaine Dupri is making further headlines this year as he was inducted and honored at the 2018 Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame. Additional 2018 inductees include Bill Anderson, Steve Dorff, Alan Jackson, Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown & James “JT” Taylor p/k/a “Kool & The Gang,” and John Mellencamp.

Jermaine Dupri says, “Blessings are bigger when you share them. One of my biggest blessings is to be able to go tour with all my artists. I can’t wait!!!”

Courtesy of So So Def

SoSoDef 25th Anniversary CULTURAL CURREN$Y TOUR Schedule is as follows:

Date	City	Arena
October 14	Washington D.C.	Capital One Arena
October 18	Brooklyn, NY	Barclays Center
October 19	Baltimore, MD	Royal Farms Arena
October 20	Greensboro, NC	Coliseum
October 21	Atlanta, GA	Philips Arena
TBD	Chicago, IL	United Center
October 25	Nashville, TN	Bridgestone Arena
October 26	Memphis, TN	FedExForum
October 28	Charlotte, NC	Spectrum Center
October 31	Detroit, MI	Little Caesars Arena
November 2	Los Angeles, CA	Staples Center

About the So So Def 25th Anniversary Tour
Grammy-winning producer, songwriter, recording artist, and TV star Jermaine Dupri in association with AEG Presents, will see 11 cities across the U.S. this fall to celebrate 25 years of his iconic label, So So Def. The CULTURAL CURREN$Y TOUR will feature So So Def’s iconic artists and be headlined and produced by Jermaine Dupri himself. Other artists on the roster include Xscape, Jagged Edge, Anthony Hamilton, Youngbloodz, Da Brat, Bow Wow, Dem Franchize Boyz, J Kwon and Bonecrusher.

About Jermaine Dupri
In 1992, Dupri introduced to the world two 12-year-olds who wore their pants backwards by the name of Kris Kross. In February of that same year their first song “Jump” was released and immediately soared to #1 on the pop charts remaining there for 8 weeks. This accomplishment labeled Jermaine as a 19-year-old wunderkind and super-producer. With over 400 million records sold to date, Dupri, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame is one of most successful producers in the music industry. His career milestones include the release of several platinum recordings as CEO of So So Def, winning a Grammy for Best R&B Song, and being honored with an ASCAP Golden Note Award, given to composers and songwriters who have achieved extraordinary milestones. Now, twenty-five years later, after the continued success of developing other teen stars and iconic So So Def artists such as Xscape, Usher, Da Brat, TLC, Bow Wow and more, Jermaine is still on the scene and gearing up to celebrate his legacy and 25 years of So So Def. www.sosodef.com

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Tags: #TheHype, #TheHypeMagazine, American Gangster, Anthony Hamilton (musician), Bone Crusher, Bow Wow, Da Brat, Dem Franchize Boyz, entertainment, exclusive, hiphop, Hype, J-Batters, J-Kwon, Jagged Edge, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Mani, Music, Nova and Street Bud, Queen Latifah, So So Def, The Hype Magazine, the rap game, Xscape, Youngbloodz

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.