Jermaine Dupri urged Atlanta artists to step their game up because he’s not impressed.
The So So Def Recordings founder criticized the current state of Atlanta’s music scene in an interview with AllHipHop. Jermaine Dupri bemoaned what he viewed as a musical downturn.
“The way the city is now, I love the growth of the city,” he told AllHipHop. “But I feel like musically, we have declined from what it was in my era of coming up. The pool is not that big anymore. The artistry is not there as much as it used to be. And it needs to get back to that. Kids need to get back to being creative and not being scared to do what the music makes them want to do.”
Jermaine Dupri still expressed optimism about Atlanta’s future. He believed his criticism might lead to the emergence of a dynamic new talent.
“I’m waiting to see if what I’m saying happens because normally, what I’m saying usually happens,” he explained. “Whether it’s from me or somebody else that’s just in the universe. And the universe is probably telling me to say this because there’s somebody that’s getting ready to come out that’s in that space. I hope that’s what happens.”
AllHipHop spoke to Jermaine Dupri and Curren$y at length about their new project For Motivational Only Vol. 1, among other topics.
Check out the entire interview here.