According to Jermaine Dupri, “Nice & Slow” by Usher is the finest song he has ever produced. During an interview with HipHopDX at the Soul Train Awards, Dupri made the choice.
He gave his reasoning for choosing it: “For one, it was his first No. 1 across-the-board record… That is the only song whose lyrics I created totally on my own.
Throughout his illustrious career, Dupri has contributed to singles by Mariah Carey, TLC, XSCAPE, Bow Wow, JAY-Z, and several more artists.
After selecting “Nice & Slow” as his favorite song, Dupri thought back on how his partnership with Usher came about. The song was published in 1997 and included on Usher’s album My Way. It has three platinum certifications from the RIAA.
When it reached the point when he and Usher began manipulating it, he remembered, “that’s when I brought in Jagged Edge.” “So I think that was one of the ones that taught me about teamwork, bringing in Jagged Edge to make the song get greater than what it was,” the author says.
He said, “I feel like that was the one in my early stages of making songs that taught me a lot. Me and Usher educating each other back and forth. The is the one, to watch people still shouting that song at the top of their voices.
Later on in the conversation, Dupri discussed Kris Kross’ “Jump,” which became his first #1 Billboard Hot 100 smash. He clarified that he was just 19 years old when he learned the news and that he was on his way to an awards ceremony.
Jump was a 1992 single by Kris Kross that appeared on their album Totally Krossed Out.