Jermaine Dupri

Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American record producer, rapper, songwriter and music executive. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music 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. The label has since signed acts including Xscape, Bow Wow, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Dem Franchize Boyz, YoungBloodZ, and Anthony Hamilton, among others. In his R&B and hip-hop production career, Dupri worked with Mariah Carey, Usher, Monica, and Nelly to produce a total of 11 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. As a recording artist, his 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 12 nominations.