Jermaine Dupri Says Doesn't Work With Chris Brown Out Of Loyalty To Usher

Jermaine Dupri has his reasons for not working with Chris Brown—and they all lead back to loyalty. In a recent conversation with Joe Budden, Dupri explained why he’s chosen to keep a respectful distance when it comes to collaborating musically with Brown, especially given his long-standing creative relationship with Usher. “I know everybody have this thing about Usher and Chris Brown,” Dupri told Budden. “I’m never gonna say Chris Brown, and I f**k with Chris Brown, but I wrote half of the Usher songs. Y’all want me to go against myself? Like, I’m not doing that. Over the years, comparisons between Brown and Usher have intensified, particularly with the past ideas of a potential Verzuz showdown. Dupri, who’s been a central figure in Usher’s success, feels that any major collaboration with Brown could blur lines musically and personally “Like, however you feel [is] going to happen in the Verzuz, that’s how y’all feel. These my songs. I wrote these songs, I’m going for my songs. I’m never going to go against myself,” he said. “But at the same time, like I said, with being competitive, I’m also saying, I want Usher to stay Usher. I want Chris Brown to stay Chris Brown. Let’s fight it out. Dupri even likened the dynamic to a hypothetical involving Michael Jackson: “It’s dangerous at this point. Like I said, I don’t go in the studio thinking about, ‘Let me hold this one, let me keep this [for another artist]. If I go in the studio with Chris Brown, I might f**k around and make Thriller and Usher would hate me for the rest of my life [laughs]. Chris Brown’s star power and the chemistry they could create—he’s been there before. “I would love to work with Chris Brown. I have worked with Chris Brown before. Bow Wow and Chris Brown got a No. 1 record [“Shortie Like Mine”], as soon as we put him on the song, No. 1. You ain’t gotta tell me what’s gonna happen, I know what’s gonna happen,” Dupri noted the stakes are too high. “I’m just saying, I have an experience of doing this with Jagged Edge and Dru Hill, where I know the danger in it. And I’m also so confident in myself, I know if I go in the studio with Chris Brown, I’m not f**king around, I’m gonna come out with a record that’s gonna [resonate].

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