How much is Jermaine Dupri worth?
| Net Worth: | $1 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Rapper |
| Date of Birth: | September 23, 1972 (age 50) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 5 ft 3 in (1.61 m) |
About Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri is an American rapper, song writer and record producer. He was a dancer as a child, which led him into his music career. His full name is Jermaine Dupri Mauldin, but he has dropped his surname to create his professional name.
Jermaine was born in Asheville, North Carolina, but grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where his father worked as an executive with Columbia Records. It was his father who indirectly arranged his first live stage performance when he cheekily took to the stage and danced with Diana Ross.
After a few years in his early teens dancing for various groups both live and on videos, Jermaine turned to producing. The first act that he produced was Silk Tymes Leather, an all-female hip-hop threesome. Soon after he discovered the teenagers Chris Kelly and Chris Smith, and turned them into Kriss Kross. Kriss Kross enjoyed stellar success with their first album, which Dupri had both written and produced.
In 1993 he set up his own record label called So So Def and almost immediately signed the female band Xscape. Their first album, again produced by Dupri, enjoyed instant success, as did the first album by another early signing, Da Brat.
1997 saw Dupri sign a deal with Columbia Records which lasted until 2002. In that time he produced albums for Usher, Monica, Destiny’s Child and the young rapper Lil’ Bow Wow among others. In 2003 Dupri moved on to Arista Records and was involved with the production of Tamar Braxton’s first album. In 2006, he switched again to collaborate with Virgin Records, where he was responsible for Daz Dillinger’s first album.
Throughout his career, Dupri has frequently worked with Usher and Maria Carey. He also produced one album for Janet Jackson, with whom he enjoyed a romantic relationship for seven years. He contributed songs to several albums by various different artists, and in 2018 was admitted to the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
In 2015 he joined with Queen Latifah in the creation of a reality-style TV series called The Rap Game. The eight episodes followed five young rap wannabes making their way of their journeys to become rap stars in Atlanta. A variety of guests like Usher, T.I., Da Brat and Silento advised the youngsters and they also got guidance from Queen Latifah and Dupri.
Jermaine Dupri has been a part of the American hip-hop scene for more than 25 years. He is very respected as a record-producer, song-writer and talent spotter. Such is his fame that his record label, So So Records, has featured as an exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
Dupri’s Total Net Worth
Between the years of 2004 and 2007 Jermaine Dupri earned an estimated $20 million dollars. His net worth in 2005 had been thought to have been sitting at about $35 million dollars, with a record catalogue worth some $15-20 million. Despite his earnings and the value of his assets, in 2008, Dupri was being chased for unpaid taxes. Eventually in 2012 he was ordered to pay $493,000 for an original amount of tax due of $254,000.
A year later, in 2013, it was reported that Dupri was sued by SunTrust Bank for defaulting on a loan in the amount of $4.9 million. It turns out that to become approved for the loan three years earlier, Dupri had secured it with certain collateral. Collateral including his master rights to his record label’s songs, as well as it turns out, the recording studio itself. In the end it was all sold, by the sounds of it at a deep discount of around half of its value some years later. However, of course, at that point Dupri didn’t have a choice.
The back catalog included songs by Kriss Kross, Xscape, Bow Wow, Da Brat and others. This happened in 2013, but two years earlier, he had been forced to sell his mansion in Atlanta and then another property in another part of the city went in 2012.
In 2022, it appears that Jermaine Dupri still owes money in back taxes to the state of Georgia. It was reported in 2021 that he owes $560,000.
Jermaine Dupri may have had career earnings of some $50 million, however today he is worth an estimated $1 million.
Summing-Up
Jermaine Dupri has worked all his life to achieve success and to provide the public with entertainment through the music industry. He is a determined and hard-working man, and his achievements show just how much success will flow from dedication and a great work ethic.
