In the ’90s, Jermaine Dupri thrived as the architect behind So So Def’s most prominent run. Launching the careers of Kris Kross, Da Brat, Jagged Edge and others, he fit in with the hands-on producer/CEO/hype-man mentality of the era. Behind the scenes, he crafted clean, sample-heavy beats not just for his So So Def roster, but for some of the biggest artists of the decade. He left his stamp on remixes by stars, such as Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Total, and MC Lyte to name a few. Fast-forward to 2016, and the Atlanta-raised producer would be donning yet another hat, this time mentoring and bringing up a new crop of talent on his hit TV show, Lifetime’s The Rap Game. With its second season set to premiere early this month, we thought to revisit some of Dupri’s more overlooked efforts, his sleeper hits. Here are fourteen of the greatest songs you didn’t know Jermaine Dupri produced.
In the ’90s, Jermaine Dupri thrived as the architect behind So So Def’s most prominent run. Launching the careers of Kris Kross, Da Brat, Jagged Edge and others, he fit in with the hands-on producer/CEO/hype-man mentality of the era. Behind the scenes, he crafted clean, sample-heavy beats not just for his So So Def roster, but for some of the biggest artists of the decade. He left his stamp on remixes by stars, such as Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Total, and MC Lyte to name a few. Fast-forward to 2016, and the Atlanta-raised producer would be donning yet another hat, this time mentoring and bringing up a new crop of talent on his hit TV show, Lifetime’s The Rap Game. With its second season set to premiere early this month, we thought to revisit some of Dupri’s more overlooked efforts, his sleeper hits. Here are fourteen of the greatest songs you didn’t know Jermaine Dupri produced.
Ma$e, Jay Z, Lil’ Cease, 112, “Cheat On You” (1997)
TLC, “My Life” (1999)
Latocha Scott and Chanté Moore, “Treated Like Her” (2000)
Ludacris and Pastor Troy, “Get Off Me” (2000)
Ludacris’ first album, Back for the First Time, boasted an impressive roster of the era’s finest producers: Bangladesh, Timbaland, Organized Noize, and the Neptunes. Dupri contributed production on “Get Off Me,” a frantic, percussion-heavy beat that perfectly suits young Ludacris going back and forth with an equally wired Pastor Troy.
R.O.C., “Who Ya Love” (2011)
Tamia, “Still” (2004)
Dupri both produced and co-wrote this song, a ballad from Tamia’s 2004 album More. Though he often doesn’t get the credit he deserves for it, Dupri became somewhat of a master at building a sonic atmosphere that really allowed for incredible ballads.
Daz Dillinger and Rick Ross, “On Some Real Shit” (2006)
It’s easy to forget that Daz Dillinger released an album on So So Def, but 2006’s So So Gangsta had a small handful of great songs on it. None were better than this one, with a surprise verse from a young Rick Ross, who would blow up just a few months after this song was recorded.
Fabolous and Trey Songz, “Last Time” (2009)
This song, from Fabolous’ 2009 album Loso’s Way, sounds like it could have been a Jagged Edge song from a handful of years earlier. The template of a smooth, airy production and a rapper with an R&B singer, served Dupri well for over a decade.
The Isley Brothers, “Gotta Be With You” (2006)
The Isley Brothers late-career comeback produced some pretty excellent returns. Though by the time 2006’s Baby Making Music came out, the well had pretty much run dry. However, the album was not without its quality songs, like this Dupri-produced slow jam, a classic in the Isley canon.
Monica, “Amazing” (2012)
Dupri has contributed to six of Monica’s eight albums, giving them a collaborative relationship like no other. His latest production work was on this song, from Monica’s 2012 album New Life.
Fifth Harmony, “Like Mariah” (2015)
In a tale of a career coming full-circle, Dupri shared a production credit on this song from the 2014 Fifth Harmony album Reflection due to its use of a sample from one of his previously produced songs, Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby.” As a testament to having work that echoes down generations, Dupri’s imprint on this song is unmistakable.
Alicia Keys, “Girlfriend” (2001)
The production on this song, from Alicia Keys’ debut album Songs In A Minor, is a bit more rugged than Dupri’s usual offerings, leaning heavily on an interpolation from Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Brooklyn Zoo.”
Cam’Ron, “Rockin’ And Rollin’” (1998)
This was an early-career album cut from Cam’Ron, off of his debut album Confessions of Fire. The young Harlem MC was still finding his groove, but he still knew his way around a catchy hook, which this beat heavily boasted.