Sun mogul back in session8/8/2023 ![]() When they came out, they changed everything,” Lil Jon said. “I don’t think Jermaine gets enough credit for what he did with Kris Kross. He taught them how to rap, turned their clothes backward and produced their first album, “Totally Krossed Out,” which sold more than six million copies and featured “Jump.” They weren’t rappers, but Dupri liked their look. It was Kris Kross, a pair of pre-teens that Dupri famously discovered at Greenbriar Mall, that put the then-19-year-old Dupri on the map. “Atlanta wasn’t talked about, in the early 90s conversations about hip-hop, but we existed among ourselves.” “It was our version of what hip-hop was to us,” Dupri said. “At the time, we did not know that we were creating our own culture and space,” Dupri said about Atlanta’s early 1990s hip-hop scene, which was bubbling out of school dances, in skating rinks and local talent shows. While Dupri admits that the LP didn’t do well, it created a notable buzz around Atlanta, which was still trying to find its place in a hip-hop scene that was dominated by New York. At 18 years old, Dupri wrote and produced the group’s first and only album, “It Ain’t Where Ya From.It’s Where Ya At.” In 1990, his first group, Silk Tymes Leather, became the first rap group from Atlanta to sign a major record deal. Does he deserve more and should we work on respecting him more in terms of publicly saying this is our guy? Absolutely.” “Does he receive the respect he deserves? Not always. “Jermaine is one of the most important musical factors in the city,” Killer Mike said. The Atlanta rapper, whose real name is Michael Render and who has established himself as an activist and businessman, calls Dupri, a 12-time Grammy nominee and member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a “forefather of the culture.” But even giants like Killer Mike, who first met Dupri as a fanboy at a concert at Emory University, can still be awed by the mega producer’s intergenerational cultural legacy. “It is definitely an honor to be representative of the home team,” said Big Boi, who will soon be marking the 30th anniversary of Outkast’s debut classic, “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.” “A bunch of grown men are going out there on that stage.” Child protégé with staying powerĪtlanta’s rap and hip-hop community is heavily intertwined, from early pioneers like MC Shy D through current darlings like Lil Baby and Future. He also is bringing Sleepy Brown, of Organized Noize, who sang the hook on Big Boi’s “I Like the Way You Move,” to New Orleans to perform with him. An undeniable, unforgettable event.”Ĭredit: Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionīig Boi, of Outkast, who called himself “one of the most fiercest Jedis to destroy a stage,” said it was going to be a “bomb set.” So I want to do something that can’t be duplicated. “The South has basically taken the crown of hip-hop and ran with it. “It is only right, but at the same time, the South has always had something to say,” Dupri said. His stats are off the chart.”ĭupri originally planned to call the Essence set “Welcome to Atlanta,” after his 2002 anthem.īut he changed it to “The South Got Something to Say,” a direct nod to Andre 3000′s 1995 declaration that forcefully introduced Atlanta, and the South, as a rap and hip-hop power. “His impact is undeniable and his success speaks to that. is married to the group’s Tameka “Tiny” Cottle. I always looked at him like a big brother,” said T.I., adding that perhaps Dupri’s best accomplishment was signing the R&B quartet Xscape. An OG waving the flag, shining a light on the city before any of us had a chance to. “The 50th anniversary of hip-hop only comes around one time.”Ĭlifford Harris (known onstage as T.I.), who will be performing with Dupri, said he was the perfect choice to curate. “I am creating the story and I want to make sure that Atlanta comes off the way it is supposed to,” said Dupri, who also will perform Saturday. Dupri has been tapped to curate part of the Saturday night concert that will focus on Atlanta’s hip-hop legacy. This weekend, Dupri will take Atlanta to New Orleans for the Essence Festival of Culture, the largest African-American culture and music event in the country.Įssence has devoted the weekend’s entire concert series to a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. For the last 30 years, I have been doing mayoral work.” Welcome to Atlanta ![]() “Every day, I am hearing more and more people say they moved to Atlanta because of what I am doing. “I’m trying to do the best, and as much as I can, for the city,” Dupri said. The OG of Atlanta’s R&B, rap and hip-hop game now says he wants to be the mayor - even if it is unofficial. He’s 50 now, and the million-dollar parties and youthful yearning to be a mascot are behind him. ![]()
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