Jermaine Dupri has announced a new partnership between So So Def Recordings and Create Music Group.
In a recently penned multiyear deal, the seasoned Atlanta mogul will transition out of his role as CEO of So So Def and into the position of chairman and founder.
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Dupri will also become the Creative Director of Create, giving him the opportunity to join forces with the company as they continue to release new music and launch new artists through his own label.
According to the terms of the deal, Jermaine Dupri will be transferring his label’s publishing, recordings, and back catalog to Create Music Group. The longtime rapper, producer and entrepreneur will be succeeded by Bryan Patrick Franklin, who will become So So Def’s next CEO, and Joe Romulus, Esq. who will head the company’s legal business affairs.
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This decision comes over 30 years after So So Def Recordings was founded by the “Money Ain’t a Thang” rapper in 1993. Since its inception, the label has been home to some of hip-hop’s most lauded, Southern acts, including: Bow Wow, TLC, Dem Franchize Boyz,Anthony Hamilton, Xscape and more.
While discussing the new development, Jonathan Strauss, the founder and CEO of Create declares, “Jermaine has been one of the most successful and impactful forces in music for the last three decades.” Strauss continues, “We are honored that he and his team have decided to partner with us for both his catalog and future output.”
Dupri echoed the same sentiment, “I have been looking for a home for the entire So So Def brand so I can continue to do what I started.”
Since So So Def’s early days, Jermaine Dupri has been committed to artist management, development, production and songwriting. The Atlanta multihyphenate is known for producing and co-writing multiple songs on Usher’s My Way and Confessions, including “You Make Me Wanna,” “My Boo,” and “Burn.”
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In terms of Dupri’s managerial work, the Southern legend became Mariah Carey’s talent manager in 2013. In 2015, he also created a reality TV show titled, The Rap Game, with Queen Latifah. Given all of his accomplishments to hip-hop and R&B, Jermaine Dupri was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.
