Throwback Thursday: Kris Kross – “Jump”
Earlier this week, we watched Ja Rule put Fat Joe in the washing machine during the utter mismatch that was Tuesday night’s Verzuz. The obvious and more fitting opponent for Ja, 50 Cent, would never do a Verzuz with him because he knows he will lose, so I guess we’ll take what we can get.
As exciting as it may have been, the biggest headline from this last Verzuz had nothing to do with either Ja or Joey Crack. Jermaine Dupri — songwriter, producer, label exec, legend — who was in attendance at the Madison Square Garden (where the matchup went down) challenged Diddy to a Verzuz battle, to which Diddy responded with disrespect, explaining that JD’s arms were “too short to box with God” and that he didn’t have enough hits. He also added that Dr. Dre was the only worthy competitor for him.
I would’ve thought Diddy was too rich to smoke crack, but here we are.
A cursory review of all three men’s production discographies (here, here and here) will quickly reveal that JD not only has enough hits but has more than Diddy and Dr. Dre combined. And I won’t even bother discussing the gratuitous and not-so-veiled heightism that accompanied that ridiculous claim.
It is unclear why Diddy said what he said, but in honor of the gawd that is Jermaine Dupri Mauldin, this week’s TBT selection is the very first No. 1 hit he wrote and produced. Released in February 1992, “Jump” was the debut single by rapping duo Kris Kross, who were 13 years old at the time. The song would become a global hit, topping the chart in multiple countries and ruling the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks — a record for a rap song at the time.
Nearly 30 years later, “Jump” is a staple at career, in movies, and in commercials. And in that time, JD has crafted countless other classics.
In other words, stop playing with Jermaine Dupri.
No Comments