Jermaine Dupri Announces ‘So So Def Festival’

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of So So Def, Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter, hip-hop artist, author, and DJ Jermaine Dupri, has announced his upcoming “So So Def Festival,” a celebration of hip-hop and R&B music.

The multi-day festival will feature performances from well-renowned artists, including Xscape, Jagged Edge, Anthony Hamilton, Da Brat, TLC, Dem Franchize Boyz, and Youngbloodz. The two-day live music event will take place on October 7th from 12 PM – 11 PM ET and October 8th from 12 PM – 10 PM ET in Atlanta’s infamous Central Park. Additional performers are forthcoming.

UB spoke to Jermaine Dupri in 2013 for So So Def’s 20th Anniversary. At the time he spoke on his legacy. “One thing I didn’t know is that I would become apart of history. I just made music and wanted everybody to listen to me and to be apart of it as all of this stuff was going on. I mean it’s something that my kids can look to and other people can look up to. A lot of people say to me that I’m like their mentor. I didn’t know this, but I hear people say this, it feels kind of crazy sometimes. But I love it because we got into this to this to do this and now we’ve become apart of the history of music.”

Jermaine Dupri, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, is one of the most successful producers in the music industry. He has established a prolific career as a hip-hop artist, award-winning producer, songwriter, author, DJ, and CEO of So So Def, which he founded in 1993.

Rather than impacting only one lane, Jermaine Dupri has changed the course of R&B, hip-hop, and pop throughout an illustrious career earmarked by some of the most recognizable hits of all-time. The Grammy Award-winning iconic songwriter, producer, rapper, artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist has powered game-changing and chart-breaking smashes such as Mariah Carey’s 6x-platinum “We Belong Together,” Usher’s 3x-platinum “Nice & Slow,” Xscape’s platinum “Just Kickin’ It,” his own “Money Ain’t A Thang” [feat. JAY-Z], and countless others. “We Belong Together” not only toppled the Billboard Hot 100 for the year, but it also emerged as “the song of the decade” and “fifteenth most popular song of all-time,” according to Billboard.

It took home “Best R&B Song” and “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance” at the 2006 Grammy Awards. At the helm of So So Def Recordings as Founder, he has built a catalog of classic albums, including albums including Da Brat, the first solo female rapper to go platinum, debut and historic Funkdafied; Jagged Edge’s double-platinum J.E. Heartbreak; Anthony Hamilton’s platinum Comin’ From Where I’m From; and more. Simultaneously, he has launched JD’s Vegan as a mega-popular plant-based ice cream alternative available in major retailers such as Walmart. Plus, he notably stands out as the second rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame® following JAY-Z.

Meanwhile, the Grammy Museum paid homage to JD and So So Def with a dedicated exhibit entitled Jermaine Dupri & So So Def, 25 Years Of Elevating Culture. He has also appeared on-screen in the Aretha Franklin movie Respect, Hip-Hop Family Christmas, and Step Up. Speaking to his presence, Variety attested, “What isn’t recognized enough is his undeniable influence on the current cultural climate.” However, he never stops setting the pace for the entire game to follow.

Two-day early bird, general admission tickets are currently on sale.