Jermaine Dupri Announces Student Internship at Ideas Festival Emory

Grammy-winning producer Jermaine Dupri announces new student internship at Ideas Festival Emory

(from top row l to r) Greg Fenves, Emory University President; Jermaine Dupri; Dr. Joycelyn Wilson, Georgia Tech Culture Scholar; Badia Ahad, dean of Oxford College at Emory; Ken Carter, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Psychology and founding director of the Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement at Emory.

The internship will provide two undergraduate students with an opportunity to work with Dupri and So So Def Recordings during the spring 2025 semester.

“I’ve always been a person that gives younger individuals and people who want to be in this business a chance,” says Jermaine Dupri. “I’m looking for superstars that are not on the stage and I hope that I can find them in this So So Def/Emory intern partnership.”

Undergraduate students in Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Oxford College, Goizueta Business School, and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing are eligible to apply for the internship beginning later this fall. The selected students will earn academic credit as they partner with Dupri and a faculty mentor throughout the internship.

“Experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom are critical for Emory students to extend their knowledge,” says Branden Grimmett, vice provost for career and professional development and associate dean in Emory College of Arts and Sciences, who is working with Bridgette Gunnels, associate dean and director of Oxford College’s Center for Pathways and Purpose, to develop and administer the internship. “I am thrilled Jermaine Dupri is partnering with Emory to provide a unique and transformative learning experience for our students to explore the music industry.”

Hosted by Emory’s Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement on the Oxford College campus this past weekend, the Ideas Festival connects students and the broader community with impactful and innovative speakers and scholars, including scientists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, and creators. Ken Carter, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Psychology and the center’s founding director, says the festival is designed to spark important conversations and experiences for students and attendees.

“We are committed to creating meaningful connections between innovators, creators, and students,” says Carter. “This internship is a perfect example of the kind of knowledge sharing that bridges the gap between ideas and application, giving students a unique opportunity to engage with experts in a hands-on, impactful way.”

During the festival’s keynote session Friday evening, Dupri talked with Matt Whyte, host of the Sing for Science podcast, and Joycelyn Wilson, assistant professor of hip-hop studies and digital humanities in the School of Literature, Media and Communication at Georgia Tech. The trio discussed the forces that helped shape Atlanta’s unique identity as a thriving epicenter for hip-hop and R&B, transforming the city into a global culture phenomenon.

Having run through Sunday, Sept. 22, Ideas Festival Emory featured over 40 speakers covering many themes including science, history, literature, entrepreneurship, music and cinematography, and photography. Whyte returned for the festival’s closing session on Sunday, hosting a conversation between Grammy-nominated genre-defying duo SOFI TUKKER and Maria Ortiz, the food scientist behind the popular Instagram account All You Knead is Bread. Additionally, live music and entertainment, photography exhibits, and food and drink vendors were set up on and around the Oxford College quad.

ABOUT JERMAINE DUPRI:

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Rather than impacting only one lane, Jermaine Dupri has changed the course of R&B, hip-hop, and pop throughout an illustrious career earmarked by some of the most recognizable hits of all-time. The GRAMMY® Award-winning iconic songwriter, producer, rapper, artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist has powered game-changing and chart-breaking smashes such as Mariah Carey’s 6x-platinum “We Belong Together,” Usher’s 3x-platinum “Nice & Slow,” Xscape’s platinum “Just Kickin’ It,” his own “Money Ain’t A Thang” [feat. JAY-Z], and countless others. “We Belong Together” not only toppled the Billboard Hot 100 for the year, but it also emerged as “the song of the decade” and “fifteenth most popular song of all-time,” according to Billboard. It took home “Best R&B Song” and “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance” at the 2006 GRAMMY® Awards. Additionally, Usher’s “Confessions Part II” recently topped Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21^st Century coming in at number 1.

At the helm of So So Def Recordings as Founder, he has built a catalog of classic albums, including Da Brat’s – the first solo female rapper to go platinum – debut and historic album Funkdafied; Jagged Edge’s double-platinum J.E. Heartbreak; Anthony Hamilton’s platinum Comin’ From Where I’m From; and more. Simultaneously, he has launched JD’s Vegan as a mega-popular plant-based ice cream alternative available in major retailers such as Walmart. Plus, he notably stands out as the second rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame® following JAY-Z. Meanwhile, the GRAMMY® Museum paid homage to JD and So So Def with a dedicated exhibit entitled Jermaine Dupri & So So Def, 25 Years Of Elevating Culture. He has also appeared on-screen in the Aretha Franklin movie Respect, Hip-Hop Family Christmas, and Step Up. His ability to stay connected to the cultural zeigiest is why he continues to remain relevant and develop new talent which is evident with the recent success of Ari Lennox’s “Pressure” becoming her highest charting solo single and Muni Long’s global and viral smash “Made for Me.” Speaking to his presence, Variety attested, “What isn’t recognized enough is his undeniable influence on the current cultural climate.” However, he never stops setting the pace for the entire game to follow.

ABOUT SO SO DEF RECORDINGS: 

So So Def Recordings houses over three decades of influential smashes, casting a long shadow over Hip-Hop, R&B, and Pop, and powering the careers of history-making superstars. Founded by Jermaine Dupri, in 1993, the label’s commitment to artist development and innovation set a precedent throughout the game for countless independent-minded entrepreneurs to eventually follow. Dupri launched So So Def with the seminal debut from game-changing R&B girl group Xscape, Hummin’ Comin’ At ‘Cha. The album notably went platinum and spawned the definitive “Just Kickin’ It.” Emerging as an arena force, the quartet dropped the platinum Off The Hook [1995] and platinum Traces Of My Lipstick [1998]. Along the way, So So Def surpassed numerous benchmarks. The label debuted Da Brat’s debut LP, Funkdafied, enshrining her as “the first female solo rapper to go platinum.” After signing Jagged Edge, So So Def released the group’s double-platinum J.E. Heartbreak [1999], platinum Jagged Little Thrill [2001], and gold Hard [2003]. Additionally, it ignited the career of 17-time GRAMMY® Award nominee Anthony Hamilton with the platinum Comin’ from Where I’m From [2003] and gold Ain’t Nobody Worryin’ [2005]. In September 2005, Dupri became the first person to produce the Top 3 singles on the US R&B chart by way of Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” and “Shake It Off,” and Bow Wow’s “Let Me Hold You.”