ali2712
June 25th, 2005, 06:11 PM
{{AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SINGER JERMAINE DUPRI LAST WEEK}}
CA&E: If you weren't in music, what do you think you might be doing? JD: If I wasn't doing this, I would probably be a roadie or working in an electronics store with video games.
CA&E: What's up next for you? JD: What's next is 3LW, Bow Wow, Daz, my album, So So Def TV and a line of stores here in Atlanta called Def Cuts (a barbershop), Def Cafe (a healthy, sexy, fast food spot) and whatever else my lil' mind can come up with.
In the early 1990s, platinum-selling producer/rapper Jermaine Dupri made his mark on the charts after discovering Kris Kross at a local mall. Fostering new talent (Da Brat, Bow Wow), working with established artists (Usher, Mariah Carey) and performing have kept him busy and at the top of his game. CA&E featured Dupri's Mercedes in the September issue and we caught up with the superstar producer for a chat about music.
CA&E: Generally what do you think of the music industry? Is it too dominated by corporations that narrow the variety of artists for music fans or do you see some overriding benefit? JD: These days the music industry sucks. Fifty percent of the people working in it should be in college or something because they are making it much too complicated if you just follow the music. Everything would be easy but nooooo.
CA&E: You recently switched labels. Can you tell us why? JD: I switched labels for that same reason. I'm from the South and its different here than New York or any other place. You have to follow the music to understand and Columbia and I really started not understanding each other, so it was time to move on.
CA&E: Who are some of your favorite current artists/CDs and who should we look for that's up and coming? JD: I don't have a favorite CD right now - the artists you should be watching out for are Anthony Hamilton, Bone Crusher, J-Kwon, Jarvis (hot teen kid from Atlanta) and myself... CA&E: Which is your favorite studio to record in? JD: My favorite studio is mine, Southside Studios here in Atlanta; we have everything you would ever want in a studio.
CA&E: Do you like recording digital or do you miss working in analog and what's the chief advantage/disadvantage for you with either? JD: I miss analog 'cause of the fatness, but we now can get that same sound digitally, so it's cool.
CA&E: What do you think of MP3s and other formats that basically are getting music fans to trade in quality for quantity? JD: I love MP3s for the speed but the quality is crappy; they need to fix that for people like me who like to listen for clarity.
CA&E: Who's been your favorite artist(s) you've worked with in the studio? JD: Usher is by far the best artist in the studio, because he listens and gives very good input.
CA&E: Which project(s) that you've worked on do you think will represent you going into the next generation? JD: I believe this Usher album is gonna go down in history as the album that brought R&B back - the first out-of-the-box success since Michael Jackson's Off The Wall.
CA&E: Have any producers been a major influence in terms of how you approach things, the way you work, etc.? JD: Teddy Riley had the biggest influence on me just because of his crispness and his controlling both R&B and rap. That's all I wanted to be growing up-just like Teddy.
CA&E: Do you think the producer's role has changed dramatically over the past decade? It seems as though more producers are doing more, such as creating entire tracks for singers to lay vocals on. JD: Yes, the role of the producer has changed 'cause now the fans are looking to see who produced what, so that matters now. It was never like that before, really - I don't think my mom cared about who produced Earth Wind & Fire.
CA&E: Do you use your car audio system to test mixes? And, what do you get from doing that? JD: Yes, I use my car to test every mix, simply because it's true to how it's gonna sound on the radio.
CA&E: What do you like best about your car audio setup in terms of aspect of sound?
JD: Everything is flat - no EQ - so I can tell if the bass is too heavy or low. But kids these days don't care about that.
CA&E: Is there any vehicle you'd like to have that you don't currently own? JD: I think I'm going to get a Lamborghini.
CA&E: If you weren't in music, what do you think you might be doing? JD: If I wasn't doing this, I would probably be a roadie or working in an electronics store with video games.
CA&E: What's up next for you? JD: What's next is 3LW, Bow Wow, Daz, my album, So So Def TV and a line of stores here in Atlanta called Def Cuts (a barbershop), Def Cafe (a healthy, sexy, fast food spot) and whatever else my lil' mind can come up with.
In the early 1990s, platinum-selling producer/rapper Jermaine Dupri made his mark on the charts after discovering Kris Kross at a local mall. Fostering new talent (Da Brat, Bow Wow), working with established artists (Usher, Mariah Carey) and performing have kept him busy and at the top of his game. CA&E featured Dupri's Mercedes in the September issue and we caught up with the superstar producer for a chat about music.
CA&E: Generally what do you think of the music industry? Is it too dominated by corporations that narrow the variety of artists for music fans or do you see some overriding benefit? JD: These days the music industry sucks. Fifty percent of the people working in it should be in college or something because they are making it much too complicated if you just follow the music. Everything would be easy but nooooo.
CA&E: You recently switched labels. Can you tell us why? JD: I switched labels for that same reason. I'm from the South and its different here than New York or any other place. You have to follow the music to understand and Columbia and I really started not understanding each other, so it was time to move on.
CA&E: Who are some of your favorite current artists/CDs and who should we look for that's up and coming? JD: I don't have a favorite CD right now - the artists you should be watching out for are Anthony Hamilton, Bone Crusher, J-Kwon, Jarvis (hot teen kid from Atlanta) and myself... CA&E: Which is your favorite studio to record in? JD: My favorite studio is mine, Southside Studios here in Atlanta; we have everything you would ever want in a studio.
CA&E: Do you like recording digital or do you miss working in analog and what's the chief advantage/disadvantage for you with either? JD: I miss analog 'cause of the fatness, but we now can get that same sound digitally, so it's cool.
CA&E: What do you think of MP3s and other formats that basically are getting music fans to trade in quality for quantity? JD: I love MP3s for the speed but the quality is crappy; they need to fix that for people like me who like to listen for clarity.
CA&E: Who's been your favorite artist(s) you've worked with in the studio? JD: Usher is by far the best artist in the studio, because he listens and gives very good input.
CA&E: Which project(s) that you've worked on do you think will represent you going into the next generation? JD: I believe this Usher album is gonna go down in history as the album that brought R&B back - the first out-of-the-box success since Michael Jackson's Off The Wall.
CA&E: Have any producers been a major influence in terms of how you approach things, the way you work, etc.? JD: Teddy Riley had the biggest influence on me just because of his crispness and his controlling both R&B and rap. That's all I wanted to be growing up-just like Teddy.
CA&E: Do you think the producer's role has changed dramatically over the past decade? It seems as though more producers are doing more, such as creating entire tracks for singers to lay vocals on. JD: Yes, the role of the producer has changed 'cause now the fans are looking to see who produced what, so that matters now. It was never like that before, really - I don't think my mom cared about who produced Earth Wind & Fire.
CA&E: Do you use your car audio system to test mixes? And, what do you get from doing that? JD: Yes, I use my car to test every mix, simply because it's true to how it's gonna sound on the radio.
CA&E: What do you like best about your car audio setup in terms of aspect of sound?
JD: Everything is flat - no EQ - so I can tell if the bass is too heavy or low. But kids these days don't care about that.
CA&E: Is there any vehicle you'd like to have that you don't currently own? JD: I think I'm going to get a Lamborghini.