The new We TV documentary focusing on Jermaine Dupri and the emergence of his record label is set to air Thursday night. But ahead of the premiere of “Power, Influence and Hip-Hop: The Remarkable Rise of So So Def,” Dupri is discussing a stunning revelation he learned about from the doc concerning his relationship with Janet Jackson.
In the documentary that airs at 10 p.m. July 18, JD’s pals and collaborators Da Brat, whom he discovered, and Usher look back fondly on the romance between the So So Def founder and the famed icon.
“I definitely thought he was gonna marry her,” Da Brat said of the former flames. “And I was so happy for him ’cause he didn’t express his happiness out loud before her.”
“He might kill me for saying this, but I wish they were still together,” she added. “My fingers and toes and arms and elbows are crossed ’cause I would love to see them back together.”
“They made each other very happy,” Usher said, before later noting Dupri “got very dark” after splitting with Jackson. “They have a lot of opinions in the middle of it, but they had a lot of decisions to make in order to accommodate each other.
“JD’s relationship with Janet became complicated,” the “Yeah” singer continued, “and he wanted the best for her. And it kind of derailed.”
Asked about Usher’s and Da Brat’s thoughts on “The Angie Martinez Show” July 10, JD said their comments are what surprised him most about the doc.
“When they ask me what’s the thing that shocks me about the doc, I watched it two weeks ago in a movie theater, we had this thing called a screening,” he says. “This is so crazy ’cause that’s not how I really feel.”
Dupri and Jackson dated for seven years before breaking up in 2009. A source at the time told Us Weekly that their relationship fizzled because the music stars are “polar opposites [who] were never too compatible.”
The pair, who kept their relationship private, was rumored to be rekindling their romance once Jackson filed to divorce Qatari business magnate Wissam Al Mana in 2017.
“Janet and Jermaine are hooking up. They started as just friends and it has been slowly developing,” an insider informed E! Online at the time. “They haven’t discussed an actual title but are closer than before. Their friendship is deep and their connection is very powerful and real. Jermaine knows Janet better than most men. He is understanding and he truly cares and loves her. Janet is shy and holds her emotions inside cause she has been hurt before but has a true love for Jermaine.”
The rumors were later nixed, however. Presently, even though he was taken by surprise over Da Brat’s and Usher’s remarks on his most famous relationship, Dupri told People TV’s “Reality Check” “we’re cool.”
