Jermaine Dupri Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Jermaine Dupri’s net worth?

With a net worth estimated to be $2.5 million, Jermaine Dupri is an American songwriter, rapper, and record producer. During the 1990s, he was among the most prominent producers in the music industry, collaborating with artists such as Kris Kross, Jay-Z, Da Brat, Mariah Carey, and others. At the height of his success, his net worth reached around $60 million and his music catalog was valued at no less than $20 million, which we will delve into in the following sections. However, Dupri has faced financial challenges throughout his career, leading to multiple lawsuits with banks and foreclosures on personal properties.

Jermaine Dupri’s Financial Problems

Although he had a net worth of $60 million in 2006 and generated $11 million in 2008, Jermaine Dupri has encountered tough financial times. In 2008, he faced an estimated penalty of $183,000 for unpaid taxes and approximately $2.5 million owed between 2003 and 2005. In 2012, he was required to pay $493,818.75 in taxes for an original bill of $254,782.64, as the penalties increased due to interest stemming from his failure to file a 2007 tax return.

In 2013, Dupri was sued by SunTrust Bank for defaulting on a $5 million loan taken out three years prior. He secured the loan with the song copyrights held by his record label, So So Def, and had to sell his recording studio and music catalog to resolve the matter, which included works from Da Brat, Bow Wow, Kris Kross, Xscape, and others.

Dupri filed a countersuit against the bank, claiming his studio was valued at $2.5 million and his music catalog at $20 million, seeking a minimum of $216,000 in damages and attorney fees. The case reached a settlement in June 2015 when a judge ordered him to pay SunTrust Bank a total of $1,820,593.10, plus $225,146.80 in interest, amounting to a total of $2,045,739.90.

On May 29, 2018, a lien was placed against Dupri for allegedly failing to pay $575,000 in back taxes, accusing him of not paying income taxes for the years 2012, 2014, and 2015. According to the Georgia Department of Revenue, Dupri owes a total of $578,638 in taxes.

Real Estate Foreclosures

In 2011, Dupri faced foreclosure on his mansion located in northwest Atlanta. While the foreclosure process was temporarily halted, it resumed in 2012, ultimately leading to the sale of the mansion at auction due to his default on a $2.5 million loan secured on the property. Additionally, his home in Atlanta’s Mount Paran neighborhood was listed for foreclosure in December 2012, and it seems he lost this property by 2014.

Early Life

Born on September 23, 1972, in Asheville, North Carolina, Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is the son of Michael, a Columbia Records executive. His career in music commenced in childhood when he joined legendary singer Diana Ross on stage at a performance in Atlanta in 1982. A couple of years later, at age 12, he danced with the hip-hop group Whodini and appeared in their music video for “Freaks Come Out at Night.” During his teenage years, he started producing budding artists around Atlanta while also dancing alongside Run DMC and Grandmaster Flash.

Career

At the young age of 18, Dupri produced a record for a female rap trio named Silk Tymes Leather in 1990. Though the album did not achieve commercial success, it provided valuable insight for Dupri. His breakthrough came when he discovered two teen rappers at a local mall, who he named Kris Kross, producing their debut album “Totally Krossed Out,” featuring hit singles “Jump” and “Warm It Up,” both crafted by Dupri. In 1993, he founded his own record label, So So Def, where he soon signed the R&B group Xscape and produced their platinum debut album “Hummin’ Comin’ at ‘Cha,” which featured hits like “Understanding,” “Tonight,” and “Just Kickin’ It.” That year, he also signed Da Brat and released her groundbreaking album “Funkafied,” marking her as the first female rapper to sell over 1,000,000 albums. Through So So Def, Dupri collaborated with leading artists such as Jay-Z, Lil Bow Wow, Boys II Men, and many others.

So So Def Recordings eventually received a total of 20 gold and platinum records. In 1995, Dupri began collaboration with Mariah Carey, leading to the number-one hit single “Always Be My Baby.” He also produced “Not Tonight” from Lil’ Kim’s 1996 album, “Hard Core.” Throughout the late 1990s, Dupri contributed to successful albums and singles for Usher, Monica, Destiny’s Child, Lil Wayne, Weezer, Tamar Braxton, and Jay-Z’s “Life in 1472,” among others.

In the early 2000s, Dupri teamed up again with Usher and Mariah Carey for the album “The Emancipation of Mimi,” alongside other successful collaborations with Bow Wow and Nelly.

In October 2007, he published his memoir titled “Young, Rich, and Dangerous: The Making of a Music Mogul.”

Dupri initiated his role in reality television in 2015, working with Queen Latifah on the show “The Rap Game,” which premiered on January 1, 2016, on Lifetime, featuring five young rappers aged 11 to 16 under the mentorship of Dupri, Usher, T.I., Ludacris, and others.

In 2018, Dupri was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. That same year, an exhibit titled “Jermaine Dupri & So So Def, 25 Years Of Elevating Culture” was showcased at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

Personal Life

Between 2002 and 2009, Dupri was in a relationship with singer Janet Jackson.

Additionally, he shares a daughter named Shaniah Mauldin with Pam Sweat, a woman he began dating at age 25, shortly before she became pregnant.

He also has another daughter named Jalynn with Sarai Jones. In 2011, the Fulton County Superior Court mandated that Dupri pay $2,500 monthly and an extra $7,500 to Jones based on a paternity test outcome.

Dupri follows a vegan lifestyle and appeared in a PETA advertisement encouraging fans to “Feel the beets. Lose the meats.”