Jermaine
Dupri
will donate $10,000 to launch Hip-Hop for Humanity,a relief effort which is unifying the hip-hop community to provide
financial support for the victim’s of the September 11th tragedies.
Hip-Hop for Humanity kicks off with an all day event at the Mall
West End (850 Oak Street Southwest, Atlanta, Georgia) on Monday,
October 8th from 6:00am-7:00pm that will include various booths
where attendees can donate money, supplies and blood. Live performances
will also be held throughout the day.
Local celebrities
such as Lil Bow Wow, Jagged Edge, Da Brat, Goodie Mob, producer
Dallas Austin and Youngbloodz will be on hand to join Dupri as
volunteer staff. Co-sponsored by Atlanta’s Hot 97.5-FM, Hip-Hop
for Humanity will be administered through the United Way’s September
11th Fund, in association with the American Red Cross.
Jermaine Dupri recently
produced and released a remake of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going
On.” The record features Bono, Destiny’s Child, J. Lo, *NSYNC,
Nelly, Ja Rule, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys,
and others.
"The Hip-Hop
community has to put our money where our mouth is. In the last
week, the media has given hip-hop a bad rap saying we don’t care
about the tragedy at the World Trade Center. But that’s wrong.
The hip-hop community is just as affected by this tragedy as anyone
else. Hip-hop does have a conscience and Hip-Hop for Humanity
is a way for our community to come together and help during this
devastating time,” Dupri said.
The 27-year-old drops
his sophomore solo album, Instructions, this week via his
Columbia-distributed So So Def label. It’s the follow-up to his
platinum-certified and Grammy-nominated 1998 debut, Jermaine Dupri
Presents – Life in 1472: The Original Soundtrack.
Dupri raps on nearly every song
on the 20-track Instructions. He and Ludacris open with
"Welcome to Atlanta," while DA Brat is showcased on
the hot number "You Bring the Freak out of Me." Xscape,
also part of the So So
Def family, is featured on "Rock With Me," a melodic
pop venture. Usher croons the hook to "Get Some" which
also spotlights Boo & Gotti and So So Def artist R.O.C. Other
notable guests include Jagged Edge, Bilal, Backbone, Kurupt, Too
Short, Eddie Cain, and Field Mob.
"When I do a record as an
artist, I want to feel like an artist," Dupri says. "I
feel like I’m cheating myself if I don’t get the full-fledged
experience that an artist gets by being directed and letting other
people contribute to the album. As a producer, it gives me a chance
to work with all these new cats coming out, like Backbone and
Field Mob."