As the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards honored producers on the 50th anniversary of the genre, they made sure to pay homage to arguably the backbone of Atlanta’s musical production with Jermaine Dupri. The So So Def general took centerstage and ignited his fiery efforts with a performance of Kris Kross’ 1992 Hot 100-topping single “Jump.”
Donning a customized Atlanta Braves jersey that flaunted the number 30 and his label’s name, JD gleefully ruminated on his origins, saying, “Back in 1991, I was sitting in my room, and I wrote this song,” before rapping the ’90s classic. Following “Jump,” Dupri went on a torrid run, which included performances of “Welcome to Atlanta” with Ludacris and “Grillz” alongside Nelly. Some notable surprises included Bone Crusher (sans his famous Afro) for a stage-shattering rendition of his 2003 hit “Never Scared” and Lil Jon, who gave a hefty serving of fun when he stormed out to perform “Damn!” and “Snap Yo Fingers.”
Though JD had a slew of star-studded guests, he returned to some of his own material as an artist, venturing into his 1998 hit “Money Ain’t A Thang” without Jay-Z. Plus, he didn’t shy away from slowing things down for the ladies when he brought out Chingy and Tyrese for their SWV-sampling hit “Pullin’ Me Back,” which was helmed by JD on the production front.
To close things out, Dupri brought out So So Def alumni acts in DEM Franchize Boyz, Bow Wow and Da Brat for an electric version of “I Think They Like Me,” much to the Atlanta crowd’s delight.
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