Jermaine Dupri has reached modern-day mythical status in the music industry. He is the power behindthe music of top artists including Mariah Carey,Usher, Lil Jon, and Janet Jackson. At the age of sixteen, Jermaine Dupri had discovered the child rap duo Kris Kross; by the age of nineteen, Dupri had produced a platinum album and had become a millionaire; and by twenty he was operating his own independent record label, So So Def. Today Dupri is the president of Island Records Urban Music, and the youngest of three hip-hop moguls holding executive positions at large labels. More than your average memoir, Young, Rich, and Dangerous is a road map for thousands who dream about making it big in the realm of entertainment or in the boardroom. What really happens behind the music? Dupri traces his experience in the music business, providing priceless advice for aspirants -- whether it's rappers, producers, or executives who will follow in his footsteps. Enriched with never-before-seen photographs from studios, parties, and awards shows with our favorite celebrities, Young, Rich, and Dangerous allows all readers an inside look at the most exciting moments of this hit-maker's life among the best in the business. " Jermaine Dupri has had more than a wonderful life -- performer, songwriter, musician, producer -- and now he's adding another jewel to his crown: author. The honesty of Young, Rich, and Dangerous , and the candor with which he talks about his life, is sure to keep the reader turning the pages. I wouldn't expect anything less from J.D. -- he loves to keep the flame burning and the media talking! When Jermaine 'rains,' go on, get wet, and check it out." -- Quincy Jones " Jermaine Dupri leads a generation of movers, shakers, and hit-makers who have redefined the American Dream. His impeccable instinct, ear, and vision for bringing hip hop to the forefront of pop culture propelled his remarkable rise in the music business, and is a testament to his hard work and determination. Young, Rich, and Dangerous is an informative and entertaining blueprint for the hiphop generation's music lovers and aspiring music moguls!" -- Clarence Avant, music executive " Even though [Jermaine Dupri's] a young dude who's very much in tune with what's happening musically today, his grind is 100 percent old school. He is one of a breed, like Quincy Jones, Babyface, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, who can make a record from A to Z.... He's a superstar because his great music has made so many stars and touched millions of lives." -- Teddy Riley, from the Foreword Samantha Marshall is a senior staff reporter for Crain's New York Business . Young, Rich, and Dangerous The Making of a Music Mogul By Jermaine Dupri Atria Copyright © 2008 Jermaine Dupri All right reserved. ISBN: 9780743299817 1 Fresh Azimiz Back in the old days, 15 years ago, Atlanta's music scene wasn't in Atlanta at all. It was about an hour's drive north of the city in a suburb called Alpharetta. A mostly white, affluent neighborhood in Fulton County, Georgia, ain't exactly what you'd expect of a mecca for all urban artists, producers, and musicians coming up in the South. But it was there, deep inside the Alpharetta Country Club, on an estate surrounded by golf courses and lawn ornaments, where Antonio "L.A." Reid bought his McMansion and set up studios for LaFace Records, the label he started with Arista and his partner, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. That crib was crazy. Besides the house where L.A. lived with his then wife Pebbles and their kids, the compound had another huge building housing everything a music guy could want: recording and mixing studios, a dance rehearsal room, a hair salon, and a kitchen with a full-time professional chef to fix a lil' snack for the artists and studio engineers between sessions. L.A. designed the whole thing to be a place where he could develop artists from scratch. Their moves, their image, their voice training all went down inside those walls. On any given day or night the driveway would be deep with Benzes, Bentleys, Beemers, Rolls-Royces, and Porsches. TLC, Goodie Mob, Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, and Bobby Brown were just a few of the artists who passed through those doors. One day I was there waiting to mix a record and Toni Braxton was laying down vocals with L.A. in the next studio, Dallas Austin was in the kitchen waiting on some lunch, Babyface was at the piano composing a song, and Chilli and T-Boz from TLC were downstairs getting their hair fixed by Pebbles. Back then, I never had any direct dealings with L.A. or Babyface myself. But like anyone in the ATL, I was well aware of who they were. Those two brought some real star power to a scene that was always being overlooked by the music industry in favor of New York or the West Coast. The fact that they were on our doorstep was creating some buzz. They were the idolmakers of their day. Babyface was the guy who w