Interesting JD Interview

In the upcoming issue of Blender Magazine (which hits newsstands on April 18th), there is an interview with Jermaine Dupri in which Mariah is mentioned several times. Here are excerpts from the article:

"He was a millionaire at 19. He's written or produced half the songs on the radio. Mariah Carey owes her comeback to him. So why is JERMAINE DUPRI convinced everyone is against him?" (...)

In the middle of dinner, Dupri's assistant leans over and hands him yet another cellphone: "It's MC" It takes Blender a couple of minutes to figure out that "M.C." is Mariah Carey, whose remarkable 2005 career resuscitation Dupri largely engineered. The Grammys are coming up in a couple of weeks, and Dupri and Carey are co-hosting a blowout party after the ceremony, but based on the snatches of conversation that drift into earshot, Dupri isn't doing party planning so much as soothing his friend's pre-Grammy jitters. "Madonna?" he exclaims at one point in his lightly lilting Georgia twang. "Don't you worry about Madonna. She just making that do-da-do-da music." he laughs imitating a corny house beat. (...)

"He's the most important producer in R&B, a kind of Motown for the hip-hop era," says Mariah Carey. "He's got all these great rhythmic and melodic ideas, and he puts them together in a way that's magical." Carey's astonishing 2005 turnaround now serves as inspiration and blueprint for labels attempting similar large-scale reclamation projects. (...)

Dupri has other reasons for feeling itchy today. The Grammys took place a couple of weeks back, and he's clearly taken the voters' snubbing of Mariah Carey personally. "How can you not give Mariah Carey an award on the telecast?" he sneers. "Especially when you used her to sell the show in the first place! This is Mariah ****ing Carey!" To add insult to the injury, the Dupri/Carey ultra-exclusive Grammy after-party at the Beverly Hills mansion of supermarket magnate Ron Burkle was broken up by the police. To Dupri, it's further sign of industry disrespect. "It was a beautiful party. The guest list was incredible: Jay-Z, Beyonce, Britney, Eddie Murphy, Chris Tucker, Stevie Wonder. And the cops gonna come? ****!"

Mention of Madonna I see :o