R&B mogul Dupri answers the rock 'n' roll call

By Mariel Concepcion

NEW YORK (Billboard) - When Rivers Cuomo, of alternative rock band Weezer, penned the opening lyrics to the group's "Buddy Holly," he probably never imagined he'd be making a fan out of R&B/hip-hop producer/songwriter Jermaine Dupri.

"When I heard Rivers saying, 'What's with the homies dissin' my girl/Why do they got to front,' I became a big fan," says the Atlanta-based music mogul, who has crafted tunes for major artists like Usher, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson. "He was talking my type of language in a rock record, and it always stayed with me. They talk like I do, but to a different crowd -- we're basically speaking the same words."

The admiration has turned into collaboration, with Dupri getting a songwriter's credit on Weezer's latest album, "Raditude," released November 3 on Geffen Records. Dupri talked to Billboard about jumping genres in his songwriting -- and how his label, So So Def, is expanding into branding.

Billboard: This is the first time you ventured outside of hip-hop and R&B and wrote for a rock act. How did the song "I Can't Stop Partying" come about?

Jermaine Dupri: I was in the studio one night and ... "I can't stop partying" -- that's exactly how I felt that night. Like, "This is my life. This is what's going on." So, I recorded myself playing the drums and singing, freestyling, and then I had my engineer put some guitar licks on there. I immediately got into it and I asked someone to get it to Weezer.

Billboard: Were you just trying your luck? Or did you really think Weezer would go for it?

Dupri: I didn't think they'd do the song at all. This is the first time someone's taken a song I wrote from a different genre -- it was a shot in the dark.

Plus, I'd done this a hundred times before -- I go in the studio, I write what I'm feeling, and sometimes I just throw that stuff away. That's actually what happened with (Usher's) "Confessions" -- that's what I was going through at the time: I had to confess to my girl I had a baby by someone else. I write songs all the time and don't give them to others, but this time I talked to (producer) Dallas Austin and I told him I had rock songs that I wanted to get placed.

Billboard: Have you always been a rock fan?

Dupri: I've been a big rock fan all my life, and Nirvana is probably one of my favorite groups. But I also pay attention to lyrics. If you listen to "Let It All Hang Out' -- the other song I wrote for Weezer -- I have Rivers quote a Jay-Z line ("I feel like Jay-Z/This can't be life"). I thought about it for a minute, and I wondered how people were going to take it. But, I kept referencing the "Buddy Holly" record and I knew we spoke the same language. It was a perfect marriage.

Billboard: How did Lil Wayne end up on the track? And how did Polow Da Don become the producer on it?

Dupri: I don't know how they got Polow to do the beat. I think the label had it remixed to make it a bit more dance and rock, and that's how it came about. It's kind of funny because I was in the studio with Usher, and Polow was working with him and he was like, "Did you hear the song you wrote for Weezer? I produced it." It was weird. It was the first project where I didn't have my hands all over it, but, this is how it feels to be a songwriter, and it's something I definitely want to do more of. Now I hope I've opened the door for other producers to ask me to write songs for them.

Universal is also responsible for getting Lil Wayne on the track. I think with Wayne wanting to do rock, it is a smart move.

Billboard: How does it feel to get songwriting credit apart from your production work, especially on a rock project?

Dupri: It just feels like I personally went somewhere else in my life. I'm always watching what people say and speak about me, and I'm always known as a producer. Even with Mariah and Usher's records -- I wrote all of those and they never talk about me as the writer. But this time Polow did the beat and I wrote it, and it just puts me in a different place. That's what longevity is about in this business. I've written millions of records, but this is my first time experiencing this feeling. It's like Jermaine Dupri coming from a whole different place. It's definitely one of the most proud moments of my career because I get to do something that hasn't been done in my era. It's a beautiful thing that I can be a part of something I believe will turn into something big.