So So Def Recordings

So So Def Recordings
Parent company	BMG Rights Management
Founded	1993
Founder	Jermaine Dupri
Distributor(s)	Primary Wave Music[1]
Genre	Hip hop, R&B
Country of origin	United States
Location	Atlanta, Georgia

So So Def Recordings is a record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B, and bass music. So So Def Recordings has managed artists such as Lil Bow Wow, Kris Kross, TLC, Usher, Da Brat.

Beginnings

The label So So Def was established in 1993 as a spin-off of Dupri's production company of the same moniker, through a joint venture with Sony Music and Columbia Records. Its first act was the female R&B group Xscape, whose debut album was released in the fall of the same year and went platinum—as did their second and third albums, released in 1995 and 1998. In 1994, the label released the debut album of Da Brat, who became the first solo female emcee to be certified for platinum album sales. In 1996, Kandi Burruss (of Xscape) brought the singing group Jagged Edge to the attention of the label; their debut album, A Jagged Era, was released in 1997. So So Def later released the triple platinum debut album by Bow Wow in 2000. In 2001, he signed a teenage Lamia Vano, whom would go on to earn Grammy nominations and contribute to the sale of 50 million records as a songwriter. Other acts on the label have included: Dem Franchise Boyz, Maestro Harrell, The Ghost Town DJs, INOJ, J-Kwon, Trina Broussard, R.O.C., and Anthony Hamilton.

Distribution

In 2002, So So Def's distribution deal with Columbia Records ended. The following year, Dupri moved So So Def to Arista Records, where he was appointed president of Black Music. While many of So So Def's acts moved with the label to Arista, Bow Wow and Jagged Edge were forced to remain at Columbia, due to their contracts having been with that company primarily. In 2004, per the reconsolidation of labels caused by the merger of its former Sony Music parent and BMG, So So Def was shifted from Arista to its sister label, Zomba Label Group.

In 2005, Dupri was appointed Executive Vice President of Urban Music at Virgin Records, causing So So Def to move again, this time over to Virgin and EMI—resulting in the loss of acts such as Bone Crusher and the YoungBloodZ. So So Def, meanwhile, was able to retain J-Kwon and Anthony Hamilton, despite their still being signed to Zomba. In 2006, Dupri had a falling out with Virgin, resulting in his leaving his post at the company. Intermittent, he was appointed President of urban music at Universal Music Group's Island Records, resulting in So So Def once again making a move to UMG's The Island Def Jam Music Group.

In 2009, it was reported that Dupri had been terminated from his post at Island Records. Later in the same year, it was rumored that So So Def had moved back to Sony Music, where it reportedly operated under Zomba Label Group once more.^[2] In 2010, Mississippi-based independent label Malaco Records distributed So So Def's release of the Why Did I Get Married Too? soundtrack.^[3][4]

In 2014, So So Def Recordings partnered with Primary Wave Music for the release of Jagged Edge's album J.E. Heartbreak 2.

Discography

Year	Title	Artist
1993	Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha	Xscape
1994	Funkdafied	Da Brat
1995	Off the Hook	Xscape
1996	12 Soulful Nights of Christmas	Various artists
1996	Anuthatantrum	Da Brat
1997	A Jagged Era	Jagged Edge
1998	Traces of My Lipstick	Xscape
1998	Life in 1472	Jermaine Dupri
1999	The Movement	Harlem World
2000	J.E. Heartbreak	Jagged Edge
2000	Unrestricted	Da Brat
2000	Beware of Dog	Lil' Bow Wow
2001	Jagged Little Thrill	Jagged Edge
2001	Instructions	Jermaine Dupri
2001	Doggy Bag	Lil' Bow Wow
2002	Drankin' Patnaz	YoungBloodZ
2003	AttenCHUN!	BoneCrusher
2003	Comin' From Where I'm From	Anthony Hamilton
2003	Lamia	Lamia Vano
2004	Hood Hop	J-Kwon
2005	Ain't Nobody Worryin'	Anthony Hamilton
2005	Young, Fly & Flashy, Vol. 1	Jermaine Dupri
2006	On Top of Our Game	Dem Franchize Boyz
2006	A Point of No Return	3LW
2006	So So Gangsta	Daz Dillinger
2007	Baby Makin' Project	Jagged Edge
2008	Self-Made	Rocko
2008	100 Laws Of Power 2.0	Hot Dollar
2009	SO-N-LOVE	Q4L

References

1. "JAGGED EDGE TO RELEASE SEQUEL TO MULTI-PLATINUM ‘J.E. HEARTBREAK’ THIS FALL". primarywavemusic.com. Primary Wave Music. Retrieved 2014-11-06.
2. "JD Moves So So Def To Sony". Rap Basement. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
3. "Janet Jackson "Nothing" (So So Def/Malaco Music)". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
4. http://addboard.mediabase.com/SongAddHistory.asp?Sngcde=DONDWDWG&OB=1&format=U1

External links

• Official site