MY MTV NEWS INTERVIEW

Jermaine Dupri Is ‘Geeked’ About Getting Out Of His Comfort Zone
Producer’s ‘whole new explosion’ includes DJing and writing a rock record for Weezer.

By Shaheem Reid

Jermaine Dupri has been DJing for decades, but over the past few years, he’s decided to go public with his love for the turntables. His ’80s vs. ’90s DJ battles at Atlanta club Studio 72 always have the crowd moving, and for the past several months, party promoters have been booking JD to keep their dance floors packed.

“DJing, I’m really trying to make people understand what I actually do,” Dupri said last week via phone from Atlanta. “I don’t think people take DJing seriously, like how they take a drummer seriously or playing guitar seriously. When you see Lil Wayne with the guitar, he’s really one to play guitar. He plays it, and he’s getting better and better. He really wants everyone to know he plays guitar. I’ve been DJing all my life. It’s always been something I’ve kept secret. It’s always been a gift I had, and I never revealed it to anybody.”
Over the weekend, Jermaine DJed for the crowd at a Weezer concert in Tallahassee, Florida. Later in the night, Dupri jumped onstage with the fellas; Dupri wrote the group’s “Can’t Stop Partying.” He was playing around with his rock side, and it turned into something solid.
“Me and Rivers hooked up,” he said of working with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. “I sent them a song. … This was a project that opened me to say, ‘Jermaine, show people more of the other side of what you do.’ I wrote songs, and I throw them songs away. I wrote so many records in the past, and I threw them away. Because I don’t have any artists to give them to and they don’t sound like none of my artists. I’ll be like, ‘I don’t know about this.’
“So I went in there one night drunk in the studio, and I made a rock record where I was playing the drums and singing this melody and I tracked it,” he continued. “I said, ‘This song would sound crazy if somebody took me seriously.’ So I sent it to Weezer. I ain’t know these guys or nothing. They hit me back and said, ‘We love this song. We want to cut it.’ I said, ‘What? Get the f— outta here.’ I went to L.A. and met with Rivers, and we hit it off. They put my song on the album. That’s, like, a first. A whole new explosion for me. I was really geeked on that.”
Besides Usher’s new album — which he’s pretty much wrapped up — Dupri said he’s not focusing on any other projects outside of his So So Def roster. Those projects include albums from Dondria, who has the single “You’re the One,” and songwriter/producer Johntá Austin, whose new LP Love Sex Religion is dropping soon. Dupri is also inking newcomer Brandon Hines.

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5 Comments
  1. JD, man you keep on transcending space and time bro. Meaning, our hip hop roots from 82-85 was based on hard core rock. Run DMC took what was taken from us and transcended back to where it belongs, if that makes any sense. I really appreciate what you do bro, becuz back in the days, the DJ was the man, he was the group, Jam Master Jay had his own sound and song for that matter. DJ Jazzy Jeff was the man. DJ’s back then got the respect not only from the public, but from the artist as well. that’s the difference. The artist wanted it for themselves and didn’t want to share anymore or to take it further the DJ faded away becuz it was more lucrative being a producer, which most of them where doing aways (you and Dr.Dre) and that kinda did away with the DJ being the one who creates on the spot fresh newness. that’s what we have lost, that fresh newness. Now if you can take it back there where you can create a group where you are the DJ and Producer and rock out wit dat shit, that would be dope as hell.

  2. Keep up the great work MR JD…

  3. JD , MAN I LOVE THE INTERVIEW MAN I THINKS BOUT TIME FOR DJs TO START GETTING RECONGNIZE MORE FOR THEIR CRAFT AND THEIR FOR BEING ABLE TO CONTROL THE WAY WE(DJs) PLAY THEIR FAVORITE SONG AT THE CLUBS. I GOTTA COME TO STUDIO 72 AND TAKE PART IN THE 80’s vs 90’s DJ BATTLE THAT COOL. I WISH WE COULD GET MORE DJs Battles in THE A THOUGH. BUT IIGHT MAN BE COOL AND CHECK THE GLOBAL 14 EMAIL, I SENT U THE PICTURES FROM SKATETOWN WHEN I GOT THE CHANCE TO MEET YOU AND TYRONE.

  4. I’m proud of you, as always.

  5. kudos…

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