Jermaine Dupri: Developing XSCAPE Was Difficult Because ‘They Were Ugly’
Frank Olamide
Jermaine Dupri Opens Up About Xscape’s Rocky Start: “People Thought They Were Ugly — I Thought They Were Talented”
Music mogul Jermaine Dupri is giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at how the iconic R&B group Xscape almost didn’t happen—and let’s just say, the tea is hot and the honesty is unmatched.
In a recent interview, Dupri shared that he wrote and produced Xscape’s debut album Hummin’ Comin’ at ‘Cha in just two weeks. Yes, two weeks to make what would become one of the most memorable R&B albums of the ‘90s.
But when he first started working with the group, he didn’t expect them to blow up. Why? “I was writing mainly rap music at the time,” JD admitted, “and I had no real R&B chops. I was writing from my experience with women—so Just Kickin’ It was from my perspective.”
Despite his doubts, he saw something in Xscape that others didn’t. In fact, many in the industry struggled to see the “spark” in the group at all. “People didn’t think they were cute,” JD said bluntly. The issue of image became even more painful when The Notorious B.I.G. dropped his infamous line in Just Playing (Dreams):
“I’ll fk RuPaul before I fk them ugly-ass Xscape b**ches.”
That lyric, JD says, hit the group hard and only reinforced the industry’s unfair perception of them. But instead of backing down, Dupri doubled down:
“Okay, y’all think they’re ugly? Cool. Find me someone who can sing better than them.”
He pointed out that Xscape came out at the same time as En Vogue, who were seen as glamorous, sultry, and “marketable.” Xscape, by contrast, were “hood girls” with killer pipes—but not the industry-approved look. “They weren’t ‘fly,’” JD recalled being told. “They were too real.”
Even R&B radio wasn’t on their side at first. Columbia Records was told that JD’s production for Xscape sounded “too young” for the R&B format. Still, he never stopped pushing: “I believed in their vocals. I didn’t fully get why they were being treated differently.”
Trying to evolve their sound, JD brought in legendary songwriter Diane Warren to contribute to the group’s second album. The result? The ballad The Arms of the One Who Loves You. But JD didn’t love it. “That sh*t didn’t work,” he said.
He tried everything—styling them himself, tweaking the sound, adjusting their image—hoping to land on a formula that worked. And while Xscape racked up No. 1 records, Dupri admits he didn’t feel the success was stacking up the same way it did with his rap acts like Kris Kross.
“They had hits, but it didn’t feel like it,” he said.
Today, Xscape is celebrated as R&B royalty, but JD’s honest recount shows just how many barriers they had to break through—not because of their sound, but because of how the industry saw them.
And let’s be real—nobody questions their talent now.
