Jermaine Dupri commemorates 50 years of hip-hop at Essence Festival of Culture

By CHEVEL JOHNSON RODRIGUE
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Known as a rapper, super producer and music mogul, Jermaine Dupri is astonished that 30 years have passed since he founded his label, So So Def. That milestone comes as Dupri leads a celebration of 50 years of hip-hop on Saturday at the Essence Festival of Culture. Missy Elliott, the first woman in hip-hop to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, will headline the night inside the Superdome but Dupri is curating a center stage segment that lets everyone know “The South Got Something To Say.” In an interview with The Associated Press, Dupri described Atlanta’s dominance in rap as “an unheard of force.”