After being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame earlier this year, longtime producer/executive Jermaine Dupri will embark on an 11-city North American tour to celebrate his label, So So Def’s 25th anniversary. The imprint spearheaded the careers of the tour’s leading acts like Bow Wow, Da Brat, Dem Franchize Boyz, Jagged Edge, J-Kwon and many more.
“This is perfect timing. This is the 25th anniversary of a black-owned record company that put out multiple artists and enough artists to do our own tour,” Dupri said in a statement to the Associated Press. So So Def was established in 1993 and swiftly rose to prominence after signing its first group/artists Xscape. The “Who Can I Run To” singers are also billed to perform on the tour.
Part of the concert’s purpose will also serve to remind fans or spectators of So So Def’s impact on hip-hop and R&B. “I feel like with my artists and even myself, people don’t pay enough attention to how much we mean to the culture and how much So So Def meant to breaking the South and making people pay attention to Atlanta,” Dupri admitted. The ensemble’s Oct. 21 stop in ATL will presumably be legendary since most of the label’s acts, including Dupri, were either born there or found their footing in the Georgia city.
The trek will kick-off in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 14 and commence in Los Angeles Nov. 2.
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