DUPRI DELIVERS DEF TO CREATE

Hitmaking producer and label owner Jermaine Dupri is partnering with Create Music Group to revitalize his famed So So Def imprint with new signings and catalog projects.

The deal brings So So Def's recordings, publishing and back catalog to Create, which has cultivated a suite of services to monetize and protect copyrights by a host of prominent clients. Dupri will join Create as creative director, and will shift from CEO of So So Def into a new chairman and founder role, with Bryan Patrick Franklin assuming CEO duties and Joe Romulus Esq. to head legal and business affairs.

Dupri will aim to expand Create's musical and culture impact while also bringing in new artists and cultivating fresh opportunities for the So So Def discography. Launched in 1993, the label featured key artists such as Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge and Anthony Hamilton. As a songwriter and producer, Dupri has also been responsible for smashes like Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together," which is six-times platinum.

"I have been looking for a home for the entire So So Def brand so I can continue to do what I started," he said. Added Create founder and CEO Jonathan Strauss of Dupri, "We are honored that he and his team have decided to partner with us for both his catalog and future output."

Raising a "funkdafied" glass for the occasion above are Create co-founder/COO Alex Williams, Franklin, Strauss, Dupri and Romulus. Now if you'll excuse us while we go blast "Just Kickin' It" ...