Dupri Takes the Fall for Janet's 'Disappointing' Album

Last year, Jermaine Dupri became the president of Virgin Records, a unit of EMI Group PLC, a position that was granted to him after he turned many comeback albums of various artists into genuine money-making machines. Unfortunately, the same logic did not operate when it came to his girlfriend's latest material, '20 Y.O'.

After the disappointing performance of 'Damita Jo' (2004) in all the charts and the Super Bowl debacle, Janet Jackson really needed to return in full throttle in showbiz. For that, she underwent months and months of preparation, focusing on both her body and her music. The album was supposed to be a celebration of 20 years as a hit maker and a vigorous comeback among the multi-platinum singers of the day.

It was all orchestrated up to the smallest detail: from what appearances Janet should make, to what she should wear and even to a contest for the fans, that gave them the opportunity to decide how the cover of '20 Y.O' should look. The album even included Dupri as an executive producer and the only person responsible for the creative direction it took, while Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis also contributed as producers.

But nothing prepared them for the big flop: since September 26, when it was released, the album sold 443,000 copies ('All For You' sold 605,000 copies in its first week, in 2001). Starting with that date, '20 Y.O.' continued to slip down in all the major charts.

Nobody officially said that Jermaine left for the reasons stated above but it is acknowledged that all these factors did play a major part in his sudden departure. 'Since there are so many rumors running rampant about my position at Virgin Records, I feel that it is necessary to set the record straight. I was not forced out of the company. I made a decision that it was in my best interest to leave.', Dupri told the Associated Press yesterday.

The producer refused to give any more details about him leaving Virgin records, as neither did he specify what would be his next step.