Apparently some of Jermaine Dupri’s critics are saying that he was no longer relevant. During an interview with the I AM ATHLETE podcast, the So So Def founder sat down to discuss his legacy and set the record straight about where he currently stands in R&B’s landscape. Dupri, 50, sought to remind listeners of his resumé, asserting that he has had hit records “in every year you can think of.”
“I done heard ni**as say, ‘JD ain’t relevant no more.’ I’ve had a hit record every year that you can think of – you just don’t even really realize it,” the legendary producer said, noting DVSN’s “If I Get Caught” and Ari Lennox’s “Pressure” as recent hits. “2020 was Usher and Ella Mai. By the way, if you from the rap world and you listening to only trap music, then you gon’ be like, ‘JD ain’t made no music.’ Cause you ain’t listening to R&B music. You don’t know. Matter fact – I left something out. I put out Anthony Hamilton album last year.”
“So I’m saying, if you not really into what’s going on, you might have missed it. So you can say what you want to say, but that’s a reckless statement for you to put it out there unless you know what’s happening.”
This isn’t the first time that JD voiced his opinion on the state of the music scene. Last month, he sat down with VIBE and he expressed that he was unimpressed with Hip-Hop’s output.
“I feel like Hip-Hop is definitely hurting and needs reviving. I have to go ahead and say this: For the last 20 years Atlanta’s always had at least five to six top rappers at one time. Right now, Atlanta’s dropped down to two top artists: Lil Baby and Future,” he claimed. “There’s a lot of talent in the city still,” he continued. “I don’t want anybody to screw what I’m saying, but that top tier where you have Ludacris, Jeezy, 2 Chainz, Migos, Future, Lil Baby – I mean, at one point, all of this was Atlanta. This was where all the top-tier rap artists came from.”
“I’m not talking about artists that just make records, but No. 1 songs. Artists that people feel like define the game. Rap to me became a little stale, but I’ve never stopped making rap records. As a producer, people continue to want me to produce R&B records.”