JD Talks Janet, New Music

Jermaine Dupri is currently in the studio with many artists. While trying to break new acts, Dupri also knows what established singers can do. "I'm kind of off the market and in producer mode [right now], so I'm just in one studio to the next trying to mold artists. I've got so many that are in the stables, and they gettin' real antsy, like, 'Hey, it's our turn to go,'" he said of his new acts. Fans of Dupri are also anticipating some work from his love interest, Janet Jackson. "We're in the studio every day trying to get her record together," he said. For her album, he will team up with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. One highly anticipated track would be a collaboration in the works that matches Janet Jackson up with Mariah Carey. "The hardest part is figuring out a song that fits both of them, because you have two different styles of artists, and the thing when you're dealing with divas is you don't want to overshadow either one, so if you were to do a song for them, it would have to work where both of them would feel they were on the same pedestal, or else someone's gonna have a problem."Besides the Janet album, Dupri also noted that he is in the studio with Monica working on an album called Street Butterfly. If that isn't enough, he's also talking to Usher about his next project. "I think [Usher's] getting the bug again," he said. "It's kind of boring for him to just be sitting around. He wants to hear himself on the radio and see himself [back] on television."To top everything off, he's also penning an autobiography. "I wanted to put a book out because I feel like I'm one of the leaders in the industry right now, and I think kids have been missing a person to follow," he said of his book.