Shawntae Harris-Dupart,better known by her stage name Da Brat,is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago,she began her career in 1992 and signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings two years later to release her debut studio album,Funkdafied (1994). Receiving platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),it became the first album by a female hip hop solo act to do so.
Michael Thomas Mauldin is an American media proprietor,talent manager and record executive. He is former President of Columbia Records' Black Music Division and former Senior Vice President of Columbia Records Group,and is the father of So So Def Recordings label founder Jermaine Dupri. He founded Mauldin Brand AC/VC in 2019,and launched the Black American Music Association in 2018,a 501(c)(6) trade association for which he also serves as chairman. He is also the Managing Director for 2475 AtVille Entertainment,the owner of Air Control Music publishing,and the founder of Scream Nation,a concert tour launched in 2013 as a joint venture with Live Nation,which is known for its "Scream Tour."
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American record producer,rapper,singer,songwriter,and record executive. Raised in Atlanta as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin,he began his career in music production at the age of nine. He discovered the teen hip hop duo Kris Kross in 1991. Dupri wrote and produced their 1992 single "Jump," which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the 23rd most successful song of that decade. He established his own record label,So So Def Recordings in a joint venture with Columbia the following year.
Kris Kross was an American hip hop duo,consisting of Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. Kris Kross was the youngest hip-hop duo to gain success,with gold and platinum albums at 12 and 13 years old. The duo was discovered by Jermaine Dupri in 1991 and hit worldwide status the following year with their smash hit debut single,"Jump",which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single. They went on to release three studio albums,with their debut album Totally Krossed Out topping the US Billboard 200,and their following albums,Da Bomb and Young,Rich &Dangerous making it into the Top 20. The duo were also noted for their signature fashion style of wearing their clothes backwards.
So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta,Georgia,founded by producer Jermaine Dupri in 1993. Specializing in Southern hip hop,R&B,and bass music,the label has managed artists such as Bow Wow,Kris Kross,Xscape,TLC,Usher,Dem Franchize Boyz,Anthony Hamilton,Jagged Edge,and The Ghost Town DJs.
"I Think They Like Me" is a song by American hip hop group Dem Franchize Boyz. It was released in August 2005 as a single from their self-titled debut album Dem Franchize Boyz. The song's chorus is sampled from their debut single "White Tee".
Funkdafied is the debut album by American rapper Da Brat. It was released on June 28,1994,and sold over one million copies,making her the first solo female rapper to go Platinum. Funkdafied debuted and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200,and topped the Rap Charts and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album was preceded by the first single,"Funkdafied",released on May 13,1994. The single went Platinum in August and then the album went Platinum in January 1995.
Anuthatantrum is the second studio album by Da Brat. It was released in 1996 and went Gold in 1997. A single culled from the album was "Ghetto Love",which featured TLC member Tionne Watkins. The album peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200.
Totally Krossed Out is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Kris Kross. It was produced and largely written by Jermaine Dupri and Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo and released on March 31,1992,by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. After developing a musical concept for the duo,Dupri and Nicolo spent two years writing and producing the album.
Young,Rich &Dangerous is the third and final studio album by American hip hop duo Kris Kross. It was produced by Jermaine Dupri and released in 1996 by So So Def Recordings. Two hit singles were released from the album,"Tonite's tha Night" and "Live and Die for Hip-Hop". "Live and Die for Hip-Hop" featured Da Brat,Aaliyah,Jermaine Dupri and Mr. Black. Despite some positive reviews,Young,Rich &Dangerous was the least successful album for Kris Kross. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on March 4,1996.
Gonna Make U Jump is a compilation album by American hip hop duo Kris Kross,first released April 28,1998. It was the group's last album. Although it is a compilation,the album only contains four out of the ten singles released by the group. Due to this fact,it was not well received.
"Alright" is the first single released from American hip hop duo Kris Kross' second album,Da Bomb (1993). The song was produced and written by Jermaine Dupri and features reggae star,Super Cat on the chorus. Sampling Slave's "Just a Touch of Love",it was officially released on July 13,1993 by Ruffhouse and Columbia,as the lead single from the album. It became the album's biggest hit,peaking at #1 in Portugal,and at numbers 19 and 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. It was also the duo's third single to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. "Alright" also contains a diss to rival group,Da Youngstas,who had been critical of Kris Kross due to their success on the Billboard charts and the fact that they did not write their lyrics. Chris Smith AKA "Daddy Mac" responded with the lyric "I didn't come out wack I came out right,unlike them moles who choose to pass da mic",an obvious reference to Da Youngstas single "Pass da Mic".
"Da Bomb" is the third and final single released by American hip hop duo Kris Kross from their second album,Da Bomb (1993). It features female rapper Da Brat in what was her first appearance on a song. Da Bomb would prove to be the least successful single released from the album,not charting on the Billboard Hot 100 and making it to #25 on the Hot Rap Singles. Two versions of the song were released the original LP version and the Explosive Mix that was used in the music video. The line "I drop bombs like Hiroshima" was edited out of the song for the album's Japanese release.
"Tonite's tha Night" is a song by American rap duo Kris Kross,released as the first single from their third and final album,Young,Rich &Dangerous (1996). It features background vocals from Trey Lorenz and has a remix that features Redman. The single was certified gold on January 17,1996.
"Live and Die For Hip Hop" is a song by American rap duo Kris Kross,released as the second and final single from their third album,Young,Rich &Dangerous (1996). It is their ninth and final single overall,and features rap stars Da Brat,Jermaine Dupri,Mr. Black and background vocals by R&B star Aaliyah. The song contains a sample of "Baby Come to Me" by Regina Belle. It was not as successful as "Tonite's tha Night",however it did gain some success,making it to #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. A remix was made featuring DJ Clark Kent.
American record producer Jermaine Dupri has released several music videos,working with various directors. He has also been featured in several music videos,making cameo appearances for other prominent recording artists. Dupri also presented the Lifetime talent show,The Rap Game making it his television production.
"Funkdafied" is the lead single released in May 1994 from American rapper Da Brat's debut album of the same name (1994).
"Fa All Y'all" is the second single released from Da Brat's debut album Funkdafied.
"Give It 2 You" is the third and final single released from Da Brat's debut album,Funkdafied,the first album from a female rapper to go platinum.
Youtha Anthony Fowler,better known by his stage name DJ Nabs,is an American DJ and record producer. He has been part of the Atlanta hip hop scene since the late 1980s and worked with hip hop artists such as Kris Kross,Da Brat,Bow Wow,Xscape,Speech,and Trick Daddy,hosted several radio shows,and toured with Mariah Carey,Ciara and Michael Jackson. He published his compilation album In the Lab with DJ Nabs - The Live Album in 1998. Nabs founded the MAD DJ Academy,and hosted and co-created Ultimate Mad DJ Contest,an event showcasing emerging DJs.
