Jermaine Dupri

Jermaine Dupri
Dupri in 2012
Born	Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (1972-09-23) September 23, 1972 (age 51) Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.[1][2]
Other names	Don Chi Chi
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter record producer entrepreneur disc jockey record executive
Years active	1984–present
Works	Discography production videography
Partner(s)	Janet Jackson (2002–2009)[3]
Children	2
Parent	Michael Mauldin (father)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop R&B
Labels	So So Def Columbia Arista Def Jam Island Urban Music Virgin
Member of	Ocean's 7
Website	global14.com
Musical artist

Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ.^[4][5] Raised in Atlanta as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music production at the age of nine. In 1991, he discovered the teen hip hop duo Kris Kross. Dupri wrote and produced their breakout 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.

Dupri has since signed artists including Xscape, Bow Wow, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Dem Franchize Boyz, YoungBloodZ, and Anthony Hamilton to the label. Meanwhile, he worked with Mariah Carey, Usher, Monica, and Nelly to produce a total of 11 chart-topping singles on the Billboard Hot 100. As a recording artist himself, Dupri's 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 was led by 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 a total of 12 nominations.