It’s been over a decade since Pop icon Janet Jackson and legendary producer Jermaine Dupri called it quits, yet it’s not uncommon for her name to find its way into his interviews.
Historically coy about the topic of their nearly decade long romance, recently J.D. opened up on T.I.‘s podcast, ‘ExpediTIously,’ and discussed what ultimately led to the demise of their relationship (even though the two have remained good friends in the years since).
Hear what he said on this topic and more inside:
Start at 45:45:
ON HOW THEY MET:
“We met at her concert at The Omni [Coliseum]. This is when Jermaine Dupri was just a producer. I wasn’t nobody. I didn’t have no record out yet or nothing. Nobody knew me besides what I did for Kris [Kross] and Xscape. We go to her show and I’m part of their entourage… Kris Kross goes in to meet Janet Jackson, and the bodyguard hit me with the hand.
So they’re like ‘That’s our man!’ They’re telling her, and when they tell her, she had to vouch for me, ‘Let him in, he cool.’ When I came in, it was almost like the Diana Ross concert. She started talking to me ‘You must be the special one… Why they ain’t wanna leave you outside?’ … It seemed like an energy, right? At that point I was just like, I’m gonna see you again.”
ON HOW THEY GOT CLOSER:
“I took her to Magic City. I exposed her to a lot of life that I didn’t even know I could expose a person to. You think when a person is that famous, that rich, they know everything. They’ve seen everything. But it was a lot world that we was living in, cultural wise, that they hadn’t gotten in L.A. That’s where we started hitting it off. We were showing each other multiple things.”
ON WHY THEY BROKE UP:
“I started seeing so many other things that I wanted to do, and so many other places that I wanted to do. I started thinking that marriage for me wasn’t gonna work. Just, something about it. When you feel like you’re ready to get married, you don’t have no answers, you just know what it is. I was in the space, I felt married… I think the only thing that created a difference for me was the fact that we didn’t live together. We had an eight year, nine year relationship, but we didn’t live together… I feel like that’s a part where you really determine if you’re strong. She wasn’t willing to move to Atlanta. She was willing to come out here for a couple of weeks. But living in Atlanta, for her, just didn’t really seem like L.A. I wasn’t ready to move to Malibu… I like it, but it aint… It’s just something about being [in Atlanta.]”
This hurt her image & brand. She was so beautiful.
He’s a troll . Ugly , short, & ignorant
Oh please! Stop being delusional! She didn’t want to marry him because he is BLACK! PERIOD! She will take black DICC but she’s not gonna marry it. Just like with
Bobby Brown. Look at all the men she married. None of them looked remotely black. Not James DeBarge, Rene Elizondo nor Wissam Almana. I’m not even sure that baby isn’t adopted because he don’t look like either of them and damned sure don’t look like any Jackson.
Valid point. Especially with rumors her late dad used to mock his kids’ noses and attribute them to their mom’s side of the family. That could prompt one to distance oneself from one’s ethnic traits … starting by plastic surgery and, then, light(er) skin in mate selection. ?
@Nicky – “He’s a troll ” – I said the same thing when I found out this was true. Gross.
what about that baby though
Which baby? The alleged “secret” daughter or the one that has none of her features nor her ex husband’s?
He didn’t offer marriage. Too afraid to lose his fortune. She refused to move her life for a non-commital boyfriend, instead used him for her career (albeit commercial flops). Smart gal moved on to marry/divorce/skin a billionaire. Got an heir out of it. And let the dwarf go UP on every ripe, thot-y, Atlanta ?
What? He said he proposed a few years ago. Him working on those albums had nothing to do with her. Her record company chose him.
Would you have agreed to marry him if you were she?
He is lying.. he didnt interest with “discipline” enough so she left him & def jam
He cheats. That’s what he does. Janet aint bout that life. She’s royalty.
Jermaine is a little b*tch. Post about how Mulatto refused to sign to his whack label after winning season 1 of the rap game, now he’s salty she’s signed to RCA and popping off
I do want video of Janet in magic city lol. I bet she was like what the hell is going on ? I love me some Janet
He cheated on Janet with an stripper ..was the rumor going around in Atlanta
They broke up because he was trash and treated her badly. He cheated on her with a stripper w**** and did a lacklustre job on her album knowing after JT damaged her career, she needed a strong comeback.
She left him and moved on to bigger and better things. Now she has a baby boy and her career is in full swing. That’s what happens when you settle for ugly men–they don’t appreciate it. Ms. Jackson doesn’t need Frog Man.
Definitely a blemish on her history.
I still can’t believe she spread for that. I would never. Disgusting.
SCREAMING and HOLLERING ?
I bet she only let him go UP on her.
When you live in California, you do not want to live anywhere else.Why go to paradise when you are already in heaven surrounded with all the beautiful angels?.
If you truly love her you will move to LA.And if she ask you to jump.Your response will be darling how high do you want me to jump?.
You miss her that is why you are opening up about your relationship after eight years.Please don’t get mad at me get glad. ????She is a woman of grace that carries herself very well. Please don’t forget that her family are residing in California.
Right. You’d think she asked him to move into her childhood house in Gary, Indiana. ?
Hmmm…that’s really happened?
Why is he always talking about Janet? She’s the only thing that ever made him relevant….