Would it be safe to call Jermaine Dupri a purist? After all, the So-So def founder has been through many iterations from the game, including a time when music videos were the dominant method of promotion. He likely still has CD copies of Da Brat's Unrestricted in his mansion somewhere. Of course, being decades deep into the game ensures that all manner of changes must be overcome, from the golden era, to the platinum era, to the mixtape era, to the streaming era. Today, many trends remain prevalent, though one seems to have become the new normal as it were: the surprise album.
While fans have come to appreciate the surprise album, as it seems to suggest an aura of spontaneity, Jermaine Dupri has taken to Twitter to voice a potentially unpopular opinion. In short, he thinks the "surprise release" is but one more means of label control. We've already heard vocal backlash to the notorious "360" model. Could the surprise drop be next on the chopping block?
"Why are all these artists letting these labels trick them into dropping a surprise album?" writes JD, via Twitter. "Beyonce created that shit and she can do it, but errrybody else?" Though Radiohead fans might despite the Beyonce claim, JD's words raise an interesting point. If labels are truly "tricking" the artists, the implication is of course that a "traditional" rollout might prove more beneficial. It's not clear what prompted the iconic producer to chime in, but clearly, he saw something he didn't like. Ya'll think Jermaine is on one? Or is the man speaking facts?
