Just before Memorial Day weekend kicked off, Jermaine Dupri revisited his blog at HuffingtonPost.com to provide updates on what he’s up to. In addition to plugging his book, and new albums by Usher, Mariah Carey and Nelly, which all feature his production; JD took time to thank fans for pointing out how so many major labels fail to properly use the Internet.
“I heard y’all say how much more aggressive record companies should be in making full use of all that the Internet has to offer,” says Dupri. “Our own web sites should be leading the way in the digital space. But they’re not. It’s all one media, and these days the digital space is way more powerful than outlets like print and television.”
Dupri’s post wasn’t so much a revelation as it was a promotional opportunity for his new artist, Dondria Nicole. Dupri found Nicole on YouTube, under the alias of “Phatfffat.” A page featuring Nicole singing R&B covers received over 1 million views. Now JD hopes to capitalize on her already established fan base by releasing a full-length album on July 29.
“The whole thing hit me the way it did when I discovered Bow Wow and Da Brat,” JD gushed. “They each had something so different and so compelling that I knew with these artists I could create my own lane and make history in the music business. I have the same feeling with Phatfffat.”
While critics have been more than willing to point out the lack of longevity for some of Dupri’s previous artists, the numbers don’t lie. Bow Wow, Xscape, Da Brat and Kris Kross have sold a combined total of over 12 million albums in the US alone under Dupri’s So So Def imprint.
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