Jermaine Dupri Claims Credit For NYC Radio Playing Southern Hip-Hop

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The Pinky Cole Experience - Eat Plants B*tch 2022 Tour - Atlanta, GA
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 19: Jermaine Dupri attends The Pinky Cole Experience at Buckhead Theatre on November 19, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)
Jermaine Dupri says he opened the doors for Southern hip-hop acts to get spins on NYC radio.

Jermaine Dupri wants credit for Southern rappers prospering on East Coast radio.

During a recent appearance on The Gauds Show, Jermaine Dupri discussed his upcoming Verzuz battle against Diddy, leading to a conversation about New York radio. According to JD, he broke down the doors for Southern acts to get representation on NYC's radio circuit.

"The reason New York plays down south music on the radio is because of me,” Dupri said. “Bone Crusher and the YoungBloodZ were all over Hot 97 in a way that like nobody could ever imagine. And I hired DJ Envy to work for me."

JD explained that he set a precedent for Southerners to land on East Coast radio that many have benefited from ever since.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 13: Jermaine Dupri arrives to the 2022 Soul Train Music Awards at the Orleans Arena on November 13, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic,)

"My attack on New York radio and the New York streets from the south is like no other. Nobody, no other company, nothing," he said. "Not as far as back then, now everybody else moving forward, that door opened cause I was out there beating the streets.”

His latest comments come shortly after he sparked a whole debate online surrounding the inception of 106 & Park. The So So Def executive explained that he created the platform as a means to propel Bow Wow's career.

"I was watching MTV and MTV had TRL. And they was catering to N’Sync, they was catering to the Backstreet Boys,” he also stated. “Anything white that was coming out that was Pop, they was allowing these kids to scream and holler. I’m like, ‘Yo, we don’t have nothin’ for Black people. Like, where’s the Black kids that love music. Why don’t they have a show like this?'”

He added, "So, I called Stephen Hill and I said, ‘Yo, I got [an] artist, we need to make a show just like TRL. He said, ‘What’s the artist?’ And I said, ‘His name is Bow Wow.’ Of course, he was like, I don’t know. Everybody challenges what I’m saying.”

However, Bow Wow quickly refuted these claims before former BET president Stephen Hill called JD's claims an "overstep."

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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