Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American rapper,singer,songwriter,record producer,record executive,entrepreneur,and DJ. Raised in Atlanta,he began his musical career at the age of nine,as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin. In 1991,he discovered the teen hip hop duo Kris Kross. Dupri wrote and produced their breakout 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.
Hard Core is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim,released on November 12,1996,by Undeas Recordings,Big Beat Records,and Atlantic Records. After achieving success with the hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A. and their album Conspiracy (1995),Kim began working on her solo album with the Notorious B.I.G. serving as the executive producer. She collaborated with a number of producers,such as Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs,Stevie J.,David "Ski" Willis and Jermaine Dupri,among others. Other rappers,including Jay-Z,Lil' Cease and Puff Daddy were featured on the album.
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life is the third studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on September 29,1998,by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It went on to become his most commercially successful album,selling over 6 million copies in the United States. In the liner notes of the album,Jay-Z gives his thoughts on various tracks. The lyrics to the fast-paced "Nigga What,Nigga Who " are also included.
"Sweetheart" is a song originally recorded by American singer Rainy Davis. It was written by Davis and Pete Warner,and produced with Dorothy Kessler. The track was released in 1986 by independent record label SuperTronics as a single from Davis's 1987 studio album Sweetheart. A freestyle,hip hop pop,and synth-funk song,"Sweetheart" appeared on R&B and dance music-based record charts in the United States.
"One More Chance / Stay with Me (Remix)" is a song written and recorded by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G.,Three versions of the song exist:An original,lyrically explicit version prefaced by an answering machine performance featured on the album,and two versions released as singles,of which both contain identical lyrics by B.I.G. despite differing instrumentals and choruses. The first of which is an upbeat hip hop remix that samples Marley Marl's "Droppin Science",and the second is a sultrier R&B remix parenthetically labeled the "Stay with Me Remix",which samples the namesake 1983 song by the band DeBarge. The lattermost remains the most popular,and features backing vocals and harmonies performed by his wife Faith Evans,as well as an uncredited appearances by Mary J. Blige and Bad Boy Records label boss Puff Daddy—who also produced the version with Rashad Smith. It received platinum certification by the RIAA by July 31,1995 and has sold 1.1 million copies.
"Let Me Hold You" is a song by American rapper Bow Wow. It was the first single off his fourth album,Wanted (2005). Released on March 11,2005,the song features American R&B singer Omarion. It was co-written and co-produced by frequent producer Jermaine Dupri and No I.D. and uses a sample of Luther Vandross' 1985 version of Brenda Russell's "If Only for One Night".
"My Way" is a song from American singer-songwriter Usher's 1997 album of the same name. It features an uncredited rap and background vocals from Jermaine Dupri. The refrain of the song samples "Wanna Be a Baller" by Lil' Troy from his debut album Sittin' Fat Down South,published officially one month before Usher's song.
"Welcome to Atlanta" is a 2002 hip hop song by Jermaine Dupri featuring Ludacris. It was released in 2002 as the second single released from Dupri's 2001 album Instructions and also appeared as a hidden track on Ludacris' second album,Word of Mouf. The song praises Dupri and Ludacris's hometown of Atlanta,Georgia. It samples "Five Minutes Of Funk" by Whodini,as well as "Do It Baby" by The Miracles.
"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" is a single from American rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life,released on October 27,1998. It features a vocal and pitch-modified instrumental sample of the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the 1977 musical Annie. The song was produced by The 45 King and at the time of its release was the most commercially successful Jay-Z single. The RIAA certified it as a gold single in March 1999,and it reached platinum status on July 15,2015. In addition,it was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards in 1999. The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States,"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Canada,Denmark,Germany,Netherlands,New Zealand,Norway,Iceland,Ireland,Sweden,Switzerland,and the United Kingdom,as well as the top 20 of the charts in Austria and Belgium. This marks the first time Jay-Z was associated was the Annie brand,as Jay-Z would later produce the 2014 film adaptation of Annie.
"Can I Get A..." is a song recorded by American rapper Jay-Z,featuring Ja Rule and Amil. It was released on Def Jam's Rush Hour Soundtrack in promotion of the film Rush Hour,but also appears on Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life as its first single. The song is produced by Irv Gotti and Lil' Rob. The song is notable for popularizing a young Amil and Ja Rule,as well as becoming one of Jay-Z's most commercially successful singles at the time,peaking at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Excuse Me Miss" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z. It released through his Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings on February 4,2003,as a single for his seventh studio album The Blueprint 2:The Gift &the Curse (2002). It was also written alongside producers the Neptunes,whose Pharrell Williams sings the hook in falsetto voice (uncredited). The lyrics refer to love at first sight. It contains a more mature sound in comparison of his previous songs about women such as "Girls,Girls,Girls" and "I Just Wanna Love U ". The song samples Prince's 1990 song "Walk Don't Walk," the 2001 hit,"Take You Out" by Luther Vandross as well as "Big Poppa" by the Notorious B.I.G.
"Not Tonight" is a song performed by the American rapper Lil' Kim featuring Jermaine Dupri for her debut studio album Hard Core (1996). A remix was released the following year featuring female rappers Da Brat,Missy "Misdeameanor" Elliott,Angie Martinez,and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes for the Nothing to Lose soundtrack. It was released on June 24,1997,by Atlantic Records.
"I Just Wanna Love U" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z,released as the first single from his 2000 album The Dynasty:Roc La Familia. It was produced by the Neptunes and features a chorus performed by Neptunes member Pharrell and Pennsylvania rapper Omillio Sparks,both of whom remain uncredited. The video for the song,directed by David Meyers,features cameos from rappers Lil' Kim,Lil' Cease,Damon Dash,Beanie Sigel,Memphis Bleek,Jermaine Dupri and actor John Witherspoon.
"Encore" is a hip-hop song from Jay-Z's The Black Album. It features guest vocals by John Legend,Don Crawley,GLC and Kanye West. The song was released by Roc-A-Fella Records and produced by West for Konman Productions.
"Diamonds" is the first single from Fabolous' album From Nothin' to Somethin' (2007). The song features Young Jeezy and a songwriting credit from Yung Berg. Coincidentally,the voice sampled on the "Diamonds" chorus is also Young Jeezy,and it is a line from another Fabolous song "Do the Damn Thing" from his previous album Real Talk.
"Damn!" is a song by the Atlanta rap duo YoungBloodZ. It was released as the second single from their second studio album Drankin' Patnaz,and was produced and guest performed by Lil Jon. A club mix appears on the duo's third studio album. It is their biggest hit song to date,peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and remaining YoungBloodZ's sole top ten single.
"My Little Secret" is Xscape's second single,produced by Jermaine Dupri,from their third studio album "Traces of My Lipstick". The song reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles &Tracks,becoming their last single to reach the top ten on both charts. The song talks about a sexual relationship on "the side" while cheating,with lyrics :everybody cheats,but you gotta know how,you gotta know when,;turning into a "little secret" love affair.
The Source Presents:Hip Hop Hits,Volume 2 is the second annual music compilation album to be contributed by The Source magazine. Released November 10,1998 and distributed by Polygram Records,Hip Hop Hits Volume 2 features eighteen hip hop and rap hits. It went to number 29 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and peaked at number 46 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
"Big Poppa" is a song by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G. It was released as the second single from his first studio album Ready to Die. It features a sample of the song,"Between the Sheets" written by The Isley Brothers. "Big Poppa" was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards. It also went on to win at the Billboard Music Awards.
The singles discography of American rapper Jay-Z consists of 68 singles as a lead artist,and 51 singles as a featured artist,as well as 14 promotional singles.
