Jermaine Dupri Recalls 2 Chainz 'Respectfully' Rejecting His Attempt To Sign Him As An Artist

According to Vibe, the legendary producer once attempted to sign Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz with the help of Jay-Z.

“I tried to sign 2 Chainz one day,” Dupri recalled during an interview on the I Am Athlete podcast, according to VIBE. “It’s crazy because me and Jay-Z — I was in Jay-Z’s office one day, I call 2 Chainz, I’m like ‘Yo, me and Hov wanna sign you.’”

While Dupri and Jay-Z may have had big plans for 2 Chainz, the rapper wasn’t really interested in a deal with the two.

“He was like, he said, ‘OG, respectfully, it’s a young man’s game.’ And I said… ‘You do know who you’re talking to, right?’ So when somebody say that to me, I’m trying to find out where they got that from,” Dupri continued on the podcast. “Because the only two successful teenage ni–as to ever come out in hip-hop came from me.”

Dupri was referencing the careers of acts Bow Wow and Kriss Kross, both of whom achieved fame and success at an early age.

“Bow Wow came ten years after Kris Kross, and he was the same age. He was 12. When I put them out, they was 11 and 12,” the So So Def creator explained.

In addition to that, Dupri has played a role in the success of several of the culture’s hottest acts including Jagged Edge, Da Brat, Usher, Mariah Carey, and more.

Despite not taking the deal with Dupri and Jay-Z, 2 Chainz has still gone on to amass a lot of success.

No stranger to the music business, the Atlanta rapper, born Tauheed Epps, originally joined the game under the rap group Playaz Circle, which was under Ludacris’ Disturbing The Peace imprint, according to Complex.

At the time, his stage name was Tity Boi, and it wasn’t until 2012 that he inked a deal under Def Jam Recordings with a new name, 2 Chainz, the outlet also reports.

Now, the Grammy-award-winning artist has several albums under his belt along with his own label, The Real University, featuring Atlanta artists Skooly, Sleepy Rose, Worl, and more.