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NEWS : STORIES
Jermaine Dupri's Life In 1472 will not be a rap opera based on the state of the world 20 years before Christopher Columbus kicked off the colonization of North America. What it will be is a concept album about a
And, like the hero of American history, there is an element of personal exploration about it all, he added. "[The album] 1472 is a city that I built out of gold and platinum dreams," the 25-year-old producer of such hits as Kris Kross' "Jump" and Usher's "You Make Me Wanna" explained from his Atlanta home on Wednesday. "On the song 'Protectors of Licenses in 1472,' me and [So So Def labelmate] R.O.C. and Snoop [Doggy Dogg] are like superheroes, and we're the protectors of the city from the villain on the album, the Bank Ruler. He's the one trying to control all the money in this industry," Dupri continued, "and we're protecting 1472." With lively scenarios like that and appearances by such rap heroes as Too $hort, Slick Rick and DMX, along with the production work of such hip-hop heavyweights as DJ Quick and Gang Starr's DJ Premiere, Dupri's forthcoming Life In 1472 is likely one of the most highly anticipated hip-hop releases of the summer. Among those who are saving their summer-job money to pick up the album is Tony Peterson, a 16-year-old hip-hop fan from Phoenix. "I'm pretty psyched for it," Peterson wrote in an e-mail. "From what I've read, it has a lot of my favorite rappers on it. I can't wait to hear it!" And that's just what Dupri wants. "I wanted to make a dream album," Dupri said. "[As a producer], I have a lot of records out, but I wanted to go back and do a record with my friends and artists I was familiar with." The end result of that desire is the first solo album from the producer of such chart-topping artists as TLC, Usher, Kris Kross and Da Brat. Due to hit stores on July 21, the album is set to feature appearances by a litany of artists, including hip-hop newcomers (DMX, Mase), rap veterans (Too $hort, Slick Rick) and R&B singers (Usher, Keith Sweat). Life In 1472 also finds such hardcore rap artists as Snoop Doggy Dogg and Eightball clocking in, an inclusion that Dupri concedes may seem odd given his reputation as producer of pop hits. "A lot of this album is dirtier than my usual stuff," Dupri explained. "This isn't a real commercial album like the albums I make for other people. The language is a little rougher and the music is right in your face." As a concept, Dupri compares Life In 1472 to Quincy Jones' successful 1989 album, Back On The Block, which featured Jones producing and performing with a diverse lineup of players, including rappers Ice-T and Big Daddy Kane, jazz legends Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald and soul singers Chaka Khan and Ray Charles. "I wanted this album to sound like a combination of everything I have ever done," Dupri explained. "And I also wanted to collaborate with a lot of other artists. So I structured the whole album around me and my music but brought in a lot of other people to help out. "This isn't one of those albums where someone comes in on a song and then disappears after their part," Dupri continued. "Everyone who is on this album worked hard at these songs." Of all the artists Dupri worked with on the album, he singled out Slick Rick's appearance on a song entitled "Fresh" as the one who meant the most to him. "I used to idolize him a lot and try to sound like him and all that," Dupri explained. "I just really wanted to do a record with him that showed that I really admire his style and complimented his whole thing." Dupri also is excited about "Get Dealt With," a song that features Mase and Lil' Kim. "It's kind-of like a Southern record, po' pimpin' style," Dupri said. "No one has ever heard Mase or Lil' Kim rap like this." With both Mase and Lil' Kim accustomed to rapping along to the hook-friendly work of Sean "Puffy" Combs, did the beat-heavy Southern sound throw them off? "Oh, no," Dupri exclaimed, "they were ready. I think a lot of people will be surprised. "I didn't want my record to be like anyone else's," Dupri continued. "I wanted to do something special."
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