Months after Diddy called out his own hometown for its lack of originality, Jermaine Dupri has revealed he feels the same way about the city he calls home.
According to the legendary producer, todays Atlanta needs to do better musically, and he’s hoping his criticism brings forth a creative renaissance. During an interview with AllHipHop, the A-town native spoke about his city and its current musical “decline.”
“The way the city is now, I love the growth of the city, but I feel like musically, we have declined from what it was in my era of coming up. The pool is not that big anymore,” said Dupri. “The artistry is not there as much as it used to be. And it needs to get back to that. Kids need to get back to being creative and not being scared to do what the music makes them want to do.”
As he continued, the So So Def founder expressed some hope for the city, and is looking forward to seeing what happens after his criticisms are heard.
“I’m waiting to see if what I’m saying happens because normally, what I’m saying usually happens,” he asserted. “Whether it’s from me or somebody else that’s just in the universe. And the universe is probably telling me to say this because there’s somebody that’s getting ready to come out that’s in that space. I hope that’s what happens.”
During the same interview, Curren$y was asked about his relationship with the platinum-selling producer and how his track, “Jermaine Dupri,” led to their collaborative EP.
“I think the day, uh, or two after I dropped, like the second day or maybe the day after I dropped the video,” Spitta said. “I hadn’t shared the video knowing that this [project] was gonna happen.”
Jermaine Dupri and Curren$y released their first collaborative project, For Motivational Use Only Vol. 1, on Friday (April 4). The E.P. includes seven tracks, such as “Essence Fest,” and guest appearances from 2 Chainz and T.I.