Loyalty, huh? Well, Jermaine Dupri has been behind some of the biggest hits in Hip Hop and R&B, but there is one decision he continues to stand firm on when it comes to collaborations. The So So Def legend revealed that it is not about doubting talent, but about staying loyal.
Get this, in a recent sit down with Joe Budden, Dupri explained why he has not actively pursued working with Chris Brown. “I know everybody have this thing about Usher and Chris Brown,” Dupri said. “I’m never gonna say Chris Brown, and I f**k with Chris Brown, but I wrote half of the Usher songs. Y’all want me to go against myself? Like, I’m not doing that.”
As we all know, having played a major role in shaping Usher’s career, Dupri is not interested in creating a situation that would put his work in conflict. With fans constantly debating who would come out on top in a Verzuz between Usher and Brown, Dupri made it clear where his loyalty lies. “Like, however you feel [is] going to happen in the Verzuz, that’s how y’all feel. These my songs. I wrote these songs, I’m going for my songs. I’m never going to go against myself,” he explained. “But at the same time, like I said, with being competitive, I’m also saying, I want Usher to stay Usher. I want Chris Brown to stay Chris Brown. Let’s fight it out.”
What’s more, he even joked about the potential danger of how successful a collaboration with Brown could be. “If I go in the studio with Chris Brown, I might f**k around and make Thriller and Usher would hate me for the rest of my life [laughs].”
Still, Dupri admitted that the chemistry would be undeniable if he ever teamed up with Brown again. “I would love to work with Chris Brown. I have worked with Chris Brown before. Bow Wow and Chris Brown got a No. 1 record [‘Shortie Like Mine’] … I know what’s gonna happen.”