Oop! Looks like Jermaine Dupri is claiming nothing was done in Atlanta for the 50th anniversary of hip hop!
The start of hip-hop dates to Aug. 11, 1973, when DJ Kool Herc created continuous break-beats by working two turntables during a party in a rec room in the Bronx. Then 50 years later, a concert was held at Yankee Stadium — roughly a mile and a half from hip-hop’s birthplace — to honor the occasion, featuring Run-DMC, Slick Rick, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Kim and Nas. DJ Kool Herc, 68, also appeared onstage to accept an award.
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Before the show, which was billed as Hip Hop 50 live,” the scene outside the stadium was heavy with fans of the sounds from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Middle-aged couples on date nights arrived wearing matching Adidas track suits. A man strolled the promenade carrying a boombox and wearing a Kangol hat. Hawkers sold pins with pictures of Biz Markie and The Notorious B.I.G.
Now Jermaine Dupri who is a producer, songwriter, rapper, and entrepreneur is not feeling the fact that hip hop wasn’t celebrated in Atlanta. “Just for the record! No brands have done any dinners or get together in Atlanta celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hiphop that’s crazy!!!,” He tweeted out and as we all know Jermaine Dupri’s impact on the music industry is substantial, as he has played a crucial role in shaping the careers of many artists and helping define the sound of hip-hop and R&B during his era.
Dupri’s big break came when he met the legendary hip-hop duo Kris Kross in 1991. Impressed by their talent and energy, Dupri signed them to his new record label, So So Def Recordings, which he had founded earlier that year. Under Dupri’s guidance, Kris Kross released their debut album “Totally Krossed Out,” which featured the hit single “Jump.” The album and single became massive successes, propelling both Kris Kross and Jermaine Dupri into the spotlight.
Following the success of Kris Kross, Jermaine Dupri continued to expand his influence in the music industry. He produced hits for numerous artists, including Mariah Carey, Usher, TLC, and Xscape. His production style often blended R&B and hip-hop elements, contributing to the rise of the “hip-hop soul” sound.
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Dupri’s tweet comes just a few days after Florida icon Uncle Luke shared similar sentiments about his home state. “Hip-hop fans from Florida. Don’t be upset they don’t recognize your favorite Floridian artists as part of hip-hop’s 50th year celebrations,” he wrote Sunday (August 13). “This industry has never considered us as hip-hop from the time I started hip-hop in the south. You can only imagine the names they called us. Country booty music trash, music. I can go on and on the disrespect towards Florida hip-hop. Still to this day, we fight for our respect, and you have stood behind us every step of the way.”
#Socialites do you think some states are being left out of the 50th anniversary?
Uncle Luke and Jermaine Dupri are the leaders of their respective communities. They are the ones who are supposed to spearhead the 50th anniversary events in their regions. Corporations just sit around, waiting for creative artist with ideas to come and help them invest their money. Essence festival wasn’t created by McDonald’s, Essence was created and then they pursued McDonald’s for a sponsorship. Jermaine Dupri, Dallas Austin, or Ludacris should have done an event organized it with their publicist and let a producer get sponsorship for them. They all had Sprite deals at one point if Sprite/Coca-Cola didn’t come to them, they should’ve gone to another beverage company.— Coca-Cola will definitely wake up. If you tell them Pepsi is about to do something in their city of Atlanta. Or if it’s literally a timing thing based off of the Bronx versus Atlanta or Miami they should’ve done a 40th year of hip-hop anniversary or 30th year based off of women. Their perspective groups began.
Quite expecting someone else to do it. You do it.
I am old school, and a native of Gwinnett in Georgia. And I love the hip hop era among other genres, now and forever, including gospel music. With God’s Grace, we can continue to go forward. Jermaine and Luke are definitely leaders during the hip hop era of the South. A job well done. Gather up sponsors and make it happen, either Atlanta and Florida together and choose Atlanta or Florida for the event. Perhaps Atlanta and Florida could have their own event for celebration, separately. (Special Guests Performance from either city). And please don’t leave out our remaining artists and other southern states that were also in the mix during that era. And in attendance, should also include hip hop artists during the era from the north, east, and west also as a special guest performance. Tell the story of your South, my South. It is definitely disappointment that we cannot work together as a whole, such as the north, south, east and west. First of all, a change must come within our own race. Many individuals enjoy this picture. But overall millions and millions of fans are in support.
Author, Constance Elaine.