Producer, rapper and record label exec Jermaine Dupri yesterday issued a statement to the Associated Press confirming his departure from EMI's Virgin Records US, following much speculation in recent weeks that he was being forced out of his President Of Urban Music role at the major because of the disappointing performance of the most recent album from his girlfriend Janet Jackson, on which he played a crucial creative role.
However, in his statement Dupri stressed that he had not be forced out of the record company and that he had chosen to leave his head of urban role. He told AP: "Since there are so many rumors running rampant about my position at Virgin Records, I feel that it is necessary to set the record straight. I was not forced out of the company, I made a decision that it was in my best interest to leave."
It was anticipated that Janet Jackson's recent long player, '20 YO', would mark a comeback for the singer, whose 2004 album 'Damita Jo' did not perform well, and who is still recovering in the US from the whole Nipplegate thing. However, despite the creative involvement of Dupri and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the new album was not as big a commercial success as many hoped.
Whether the disappointing performance of Jackson's album was a motivating factor in Dupri's decision to end his relationship with Virgin is not clear. It is also as yet unclear what Dupri's decision means for his own label So So Def, which has worked in partnership with the major since Dupri took the urban chief role there in late 2004.