Jermaine Dupri

Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American songwriter, record producer, rapper, and music executive. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of 9. He discovered the teen hip-hop duo Kris Kross in 1991; Dupri wrote and produced their 1992 single "Jump", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the 23rd most successful song of that decade. He established his own record label, So So Def Recordings, in a joint venture with Columbia the following year. The label has since signed acts including Xscape, Bow Wow, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Dem Franchize Boyz, YoungBloodZ, and Anthony Hamilton, among others.