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So So Def Recordings is a record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music.

Beginnings[link]

The label So So Def was established in 1993 as a spin off of Dupri's production company of the same moniker, through a joint venture with Sony Music and Columbia Records. Its first act was the female R&B group Xscape, whose debut album was released in the fall of the same year and went platinum—as did their second and third albums, released in 1995 and 1998. In 1994, the label released the debut album of Da Brat, who became the first solo female emcee to be certified for platinum album sales. In 1996, Kandi Burruss (of Xscape) brought the singing group Jagged Edge to the attention of the label; their debut album, A Jagged Era, was released in 1997. So So Def later released the triple platinum debut album by Bow Wow in 2000. Other acts on the label have included: Dem Franchise Boyz, Maestro Harrell, The Ghost Town DJs, INOJ, J-Kwon, Trina Broussard, R.O.C., Anthony Hamilton.

Distribution[link]

In 2002, So So Def's distribution deal with Columbia Records ended. The following year, Dupri moved So So Def to Arista Records, where he was appointed president of Black Music. While many of So So Def's acts moved with the label to Arista, Bow Wow and Jagged Edge were forced to remain at Columbia, due to their contracts having been with that company primarily. In 2004, per the reconsolidation of labels caused by the merger of its former Sony Music parent and BMG, So So Def was shifted from Arista to its sister label, Zomba Label Group.

In 2005, Dupri was appointed Executive Vice President of Urban Music at Virgin Records, causing So So Def to move again, this time over to Virgin and EMI—resulting in the loss of acts such as Bone Crusher and the YoungBloodZ. So So Def, meanwhile, was able to retain J-Kwon and Anthony Hamilton, despite their still being signed to Zomba. In 2006, Dupri had a falling out with Virgin, resulting in his leaving his post at the company. Intermittent, he was appointed President of urban music at Universal Music Group's Island Records, resulting in So So Def once again making a move to UMG's The Island Def Jam Music Group.

In 2009, it was reported that Dupri had been terminated from his post at Island Records. Later in the same year, it was rumored that So So Def had moved back to Sony Music, where it reportedly operated under Zomba Label Group once more.^[3] Currently, as of 2010, So So Def is now distributed by Mississippi-based independent label Malaco Records.^[4][5]

Artists[link]

Current[link]

• Young Jepoy Whun
• Brandon Santell
• Jola
• T.Waters
• Dope Boyz Muzic
• Young Capone
• Fame
• Dondria
• Brandon Hines
• ~Jala~
• Mike Kalombo
• Brian Lhexriah
• Leah Labelle

Former Acts[link]

• Jagged Edge
• Xscape
• Bow Wow
• Da Brat
• Dem Franchise Boyz
• Maestro Harrell
• R.O.C.
• The Ghost Town DJs
• INOJ
• J-Kwon
• Trina Broussard
• Anthony Hamilton
• 3LW
• "Coke" J or "Cocaine J"

Discography[link]

Planned Releases[link]

• 2011 — So So New by So So Def Recordings<
• 2012 - Wolf by Tyler The Creator

Trivia[link]

• The code “SOSODEF” unlocks Jermaine Dupri as a player in the basketball video game NBA Live 2004.

External links[link]

• Official site

References[link]

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Look up def in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Def or DEF may refer to:

In medicine[link]

• Deferoxamine
• Diprivan, Esmeron and Fentanyl, a notable drug combination in anesthesia
• Desaturation Event Frequency
• Dose Effect Factor

Other[link]

• Design Exchange Format
• Diesel Exhaust Fluid
• Disarmed Enemy Forces
• DEF II, a British youth TV programme
• def, a keyword in Python
• Deutsche Emaillewaren-Fabrik, a factory owned by Oskar Schindler
• Def, a Middle Eastern musical instrument

See also[link]

• Mos Def, a rap artist
• Def Jef, a rap artist
• So So Def Recordings, a rap record label
• Def Jam Recordings, a rap record label
• Def Jux, a rap record label
• Def American, a rock and rap record label
• Def Pen Radio, an online radio show
• Def Leppard, a British hard rock band

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Kris Kross was an American rap duo of the 1990s comprising Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. The duo are best known for their hit 1992 song "Jump", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single. Kris Kross was also noted for their fashion style, which consisted of wearing their clothing backwards. The duo sung the Rugrats Rap for Nickelodeon in 1993.

Career[link]

Atlanta natives Kelly (born August 11, 1978) and Smith (born January 10, 1979) were discovered in 1990 by 18-year-old Jermaine Dupri at an Atlanta shopping mall.^[1][2] Along with Dupri they signed a deal with Ruffhouse Records, and recorded their debut album Totally Krossed Out. Entirely produced by Dupri, Totally Krossed Out, was released March 31, 1992 and sold four million copies in the U.S. It included the hit single "Jump", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks.

The duo landed a spot on Michael Jackson's 1992 Dangerous World Tour, as well as a cameo appearance on Jackson's "Jam" music video. The music videos from their own album also experienced major success. The video for "Jump", directed by filmmaker Rich Murray went to No. 1 on MTV and sold over 100,000 copies as a VHS 'video single' and the video for their followup single "Warm It Up", also directed by Murray won a Billboard video award for "Best New Artist". In addition to this, they also made appearances in the music videos for Run-D.M.C.'s "Down with the King" and TLC's "Hat 2 Da Back". They were also featured in an episode of A Different World, and the closing musical act on May 29, 1992 episode of In Living Color.

In 1992, a video game was released starring the pair titled Kris Kross: Make My Video. It was released on the Sega CD system, and consisted of the player editing together the group's music videos to a few of their hit songs—using portions of the original music videos, stock footage, and general video animation effects. Players were prompted before each edit session to make sure to have certain footage compiled into the video. The game was released only in the United States to poor sales figures and dismal reviews. It was ranked 18th on Electronic Gaming Monthly's list of the "20 Worst Games of All Time".^[3]

Kris Kross recorded the Rugrats Rap for Rugrats ( A Nickelodeon cartoon) for Nickelodeon in 1993. The song is available on the Rugrats Chuckie the Brave VHS and The Best of Nicktoons CD which is a compilation album of theme songs and other material from several Nicktoons that was released by Nickelodeon and Rhino Records in 1998.

Kris Kross made a cameo appearance in Ted Demme's 1993 film Who's the Man?, which starred Ed Lover and Doctor Dré of Yo! MTV Raps fame.

Their second album, Da Bomb (1993), was certified platinum, and spawned the hit "Alright", although it failed to match their earlier success. Most of their songs had been directed at rivals Da Youngstas, Illegal and Another Bad Creation. A third album, Young, Rich & Dangerous, was released in early 1996 and was certified gold. It spawned the two hits "Tonite's tha Night" and "Live and Die for Hip Hop".

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Remix albums[link]

Compilation albums[link]

Singles[link]

• US: Gold^[18]

References[link]

External links[link]

• One Life Entertainment Chris Smith's official website
• Chris Kelly at BlackHistoryDaily.com

Shawntae Harris (born April 14, 1974), better known as Da Brat, is an American rapper and actress. Her debut album, Funkdafied, sold one million copies, making her the first female rapper to have a platinum-selling album.

Early life[link]

Harris was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois. Her parents were never married and Harris was subsequently raised in two different households.^[1] She lived part of the time with her mother and grandmother, and had attended a strict Pentecostal church four times a week, where she played drums and sang in the choir. She also lived with her father and his mother, where she had fewer restrictions. Harris attended Kenwood Academy from 88–89, where she ran track and played basketball, and she graduated from Academy of Scholastic Achievement in 1992.

Regarding her soon-to-be rap name, Harris told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she got the name because she is "a spoiled only child."^[1] Harris is the younger half-sister of actress LisaRaye McCoy.^[2]

Career[link]

1992–1995: Early success[link]

In 1992, Harris got a big break when she won the grand prize in a local rap contest sponsored by Yo! MTV Raps. For the prize, she got to meet Kris Kross, and they in turn introduced her to their producer, Jermaine Dupri, who signed her to his So So Def label. Dupri cultivated Da Brat's image as a "female Snoop Doggy Dogg", and she became one of the first female "reality-based" rappers.^[1]

Da Brat's debut album Funkdafied was released in 1994 and entered the rap albums chart at Number #1. The album went platinum, which made her the first female solo rapper to sell one million units. The single also entitled "Funkdafied" reached #1 on the rap singles chart and #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. She had a follow-up hit from the same album, "Give It 2 You", which reached #26 on the Hot 100.

1996–1999: Collaborations and film projects[link]

In 1996, Da Brat released her second full-length album, Anuthatantrum, which included the single "Ghetto Love" featuring T-Boz of TLC.

During the rest of the '90s, Da Brat came to be known more for her "featured" appearances on other rappers' and R&B singers' albums rather than for her own solo work. She contributed a rhyme to the hip hop remix of Mariah Carey's hit, "Always Be My Baby". She also made her feature film debut that year in Kazaam with Shaquille O'Neal. During the summer of 1997, Da Brat appeared along with Dupri on a remix of Carey's "Honey (So So Def mix)" and recorded the hit remix of "Ladies' Night (Not Tonight)" with Lil' Kim, Left-Eye of TLC, Angie Martinez and Missy Elliott. Da Brat was also featured with Kris Kross on their track "Da Bomb" on the album Da Bomb, as well as on their third album Young, Rich and Dangerous.

In 1997, she was featured on "Sock It 2 Me", a track on Missy Elliott's debut album, Supa Dupa Fly. In 1999, she appeared, alongside Krayzie Bone, on the remix to Mariah Carey's cover of Brenda K. Starr's "I Still Believe". She also appeared as a guest artist with Elliott on Carey's remix of "Heartbreaker", and on the remix of Brandy's "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)". That year, she was also featured on a remix of the Destiny's Child single "Jumpin', Jumpin'".

2000–2003: Return to solo work[link]

In early 2000, Da Brat released her third full-length album Unrestricted, which produced the moderately successful singles "That's What I'm Looking For" (U.S. #56) and "What Chu Like" (U.S. #26), featuring soul singer, Tyrese. The album was not well received compared to Brat's earlier work. However, the new album and new millennium did inspire an image makeover for Da Brat. Abandoning her "gangsta" persona, she decided to follow the trend in popular music and attempted to add to her sex appeal.

In 2001, Brat continued her trend of being featured on other artist's remixes, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles chart along with rapper Ludacris on the main remix of Mariah Carey's "Loverboy" and being featured artist on Destiny's Child's "Survivor" remix. Da Brat also appeared as Louise in Carey's 2001 movie Glitter. In 2003, Brat released her fourth album, titled Limelite, Luv & Niteclubz, and appeared on the 4th season of VH1's The Surreal Life.

2005–present: Current activities[link]

In 2005, she made a comeback of sorts when she was featured on the remix to the song "I Think They Like Me," by Dem Franchize Boyz, which also featured Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles chart and #15 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2006, she was an onstage guest on Mariah Carey's The Adventures of Mimi Tour in Atlanta, New York City, Long Island, Washington DC, Chicago, and Los Angeles performing her rap verses on the "Heartbreaker" and "Honey" remixes. She was also featured on Kelly Rowland's "Gotsta Go", a bonus track from her 2007 album Ms. Kelly and is also featured on a bonus track from Carey's E=MC² on a track entitled "4real4real". She also co-wrote a song with Mariah Carey called "O.O.C." which appears on E=MC² and contributes backing vocals on the track.

In 2007, she participated in the fifth season of the VH1 reality series Celebrity Fit Club.

In 2011, she did a remix with Kelly Rowland called "Motivation" featuring Lil Wayne.

Legal troubles, prison sentence, and controversy[link]

In 2001, Harris pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless conduct after she had beaten a woman with a gun during a dispute over VIP seating in a Buckhead, Georgia, nightclub in 2000. The victim in that incident received six stitches for a head wound. Harris ended up serving a year's probation, performed 80 hours of community service and paid a $1,000 fine.^[3]

On October 31, 2007, she was involved in the altercation that ended in assault at a Halloween party at Studio 72 nightclub in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris sparred verbally with a hostess, and later, when the hostess proceeded to talk to her manager, Harris attacked her from behind, striking her in the face with a rum bottle. Harris entered a guilty plea to aggravated assault charges. She was sentenced to three years in prison, seven years of probation, and 200 hours of community service.^[3] In May 2010, she was temporarily released from prison as part of a work-release program ^[4] after serving 21 months.

On February 28, 2011, Jermaine Dupri announced that Da Brat was officially released from prison, completing her sentence.^[5]

Discography[link]

• Funkdafied (1994)
• Anuthatantrum (1996)
• Unrestricted (2000)
• Limelite, Luv & Niteclubz (2003)

Awards and nominations[link]

Grammy Awards

Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards

BET Awards

Billboard Awards

Film and television credits[link]

Film

References[link]

External links[link]

• Da Brat at Allmusic
• Da Brat at MTV
• Da Brat at the Internet Movie Database

Micah LeVar Troy (born November 18, 1977) is an American rapper, actor, and record producer. He is also a member of the hardcore rap group D.S.G.B. (Down South Georgia Boys).

Early life[link]

Micah LeVar Troy was born on November 18, 1977 in Augusta, Georgia. His father, Alfred Troy, is a Haitian-American drill instructor turned pastor.^[1]

Troy graduated from Creekside High School, and attended Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, before deciding to fully pursue his career in rap.^[1]

Career[link]

After being featured on recordings by Lil Jon and Ludacris, as well as being featured on the soundtrack to the movie xXx, Troy's 2002 album Universal Soldier became popular throughout the United States.^[1]

He released his first album, We Ready (I Declare War), in 1999. Ludacris featured Troy on his album Back for the First Time in the song "Get Off Me."^[2] In addition, Pastor Troy is the front man of the rap group D.S.G.B. (Down South Georgia Boys). DSGB originated in Augusta, Georgia.^[3] He was also featured on the collaborative album Kings of Crunk by Lil Jon in the song "Throw it Up".^[4] Troy and then friend Lil' Jon reached the top of the charts in the south with songs such as "Vice Versa" and "Throw it Up". Since being in the music industry, Pastor Troy has been in public conflict with Master P,^[1] Lil Scrappy and The BME Click, and Sno, with whom he has since come to terms. In 2002, Troy's album Universal Soldier became popular in the South, especially with the song "Are We Cuttin'" featuring Ms. Jade, which was also featured on the soundtrack for the action film xXx that year.^[5] The album debuted at #13 on the Billboard 200.^[6] In 2003, Troy appeared on Young Jeezy's 2003 album Come Shop wit' Me on the track titled "GA".^[7]

Troy later released one of his more commercial albums, By Any Means Necessary, in 2004. This album included the hit "Ridin' Big". Following this release, Pastor Troy was released from his Universal contract because of creativity disputes.^[1] He then released Face Off, Part II, which addressed some issues with Lil Scrappy and BME, adding new songs, and even remade some of his hits. In 2005, he appeared with Killer Mike on Chamillionaire's track "Southern Takeover" off of The Sound of Revenge.

Pastor Troy released three albums in 2006, starting with Stay Tru, then followed by By Choice Or By Force and Atlanta 2 Memphis, which is a collaboration album with Memphis rapper Criminal Manne. Stay Tru debuted at the Billboard 200 at #150, selling 6,000 copies its first week.^[8] Currently, Pastor Troy is signed with two record labels. SMC (Stay Tru, Tool Muziq) and Money and Power Records (Face Off Part 2, Atlanta 2 Memphis).^[9]