Jermaine Dupri was the subject of considerable backlash after the producer made sexist comments about how female hip-hop artists all sound like "strippers rapping."
"Brat was the first female artist to go platinum, so we together broke the mold," he said to People. "Since then female rappers have been able to sustain and sell a lot of records, more records than guys, but before Brat that wasn’t happening."
When pressed about his thoughts on the likes of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, Dupri's comments didn't appear to show appreciation for their hustle.
"I can't really say," Dupri answered. "The only reason why I can't say is because I feel they're all rapping about the same things. I don't think they're showing us who’s the best rapper … for me, it's like strippers rapping."
Those remarks were met with a flurry of criticism, causing the father of two to unveil the SoSoDef Female Cypher, with the intention being to "invest in a female who is out here hustling and making a name for herself."
After all the calls,DMs, angry tweets and other messages saying “I am a major gatekeeper in the hip hop world,why don’t I invest in a female who is out here hustling and making a name for herself?” I decided to create the #SoSoDefFemalecypher, details coming soon pic.twitter.com/Nyxl5KpPXZ
— Jermaine Dupri (@jermainedupri) July 12, 2019
Even with that commitment, accomplished female hip-hop musicians weren't exactly letting Dupri off the hook so easily. In fact, Ari Lennox hit back at the 46-year-old with a freestyle diss of her own.
ari lennox made a diss song for JD ???? i’m crying this shit had me rolling ???????????? #JermaineDupri
#arilennox
pic.twitter.com/hfqQtH5csf— Hot Girl Britt ???? (@B_r_i_t_t_96) July 12, 2019
The Washington, D.C. native hopped on Instagram live to post her rebuttal, calling Dupri a "sexist prick" and laughing in between bars. She concluded her improvised smear with a stern warning: "I don't got time for your trifling ass, I'll show you how the real players play in D.C., motherf**ker."
Lennox isn't the only artist to hit back at Dupri. Doja Cat, who achieved viral success for her 2018 single "Mooo!" listed off a slew of female rappers who have created a name for themselves in what's arguably a male-dominated industry. She even caught the attention of Jada Pinkett Smith, who reposted the video to her Twitter account.
Say it again @DojaCat❣️and don't forget @Official_Tink ???? pic.twitter.com/hlWU9uQY5a
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) July 12, 2019
Cardi, a former stripper herself, also had choice words for Dupri. The "Money" artist unloaded on the Atlanta-based record exec in a series of unapologetic Instagram posts.
"First of all, I rap about my pu**y because she's my best friend," the Bronx-born performer said. "Second of all, it seems like that's what people want to hear. When I did 'Be Careful' people was talking mad sh*t in the beginning like, 'WTF is this?,' this is not what I expected."
The Grammy-winning rapper then pointed out some of her favorite artists like Rapsody, Tierra Whack, Oranicuhh and Kamaiyah, encouraging followers and the public, including radio, blogs and magazines, to pay attention to their content as well, which is certainly not about stripping and "vajayjays."
Dupri has yet to respond to Lennox's diss track, but something tells us he should just quit while he's behind.
