He's been a music industry fixture since his teens, having produced a string of No. 1 hits for artists he's plucked from obscurity and launched to stardom.He heads a multimillion-dollar recording company with plans to branch outinto music and film. He's popped up on his artists' albums and videos. Nowhe's a rapper himself, with an album that's backed by an all-star cast. Andno, he's not Puff Daddy.

He's Atlanta hit-maker Jermaine Dupri, whose label, So So Def, has bankedmillions by producing acts like Usher, Da Brat and Kriss Kross. But last week,he released his own debut, Life in 1472. If all goes well, Lifewill do for him what No Way Out did for Puff: catapult him from behindthe mixing board barracks into the front lines, much like Dr. Dre, Timbaland,Teddy Riley and Master P.

In it's first week, Life entered the charts at No. 3, with a decentshowing of 182,000 copies sold. But never mind week one, because for Dupri,this debut is a long range statement. He's letting y'all know that he's been aCristal-swigging, Cartier-watch-wearing, Ferrari-driving player for fourteenyears, who's never gotten the props he deserves. And why have hip-hop and R&Bloyalists slept on Mr. Dupri? Maybe it's because he's never worked with ahard-edged male superstar rapper, maybe it's because his sound lacks regionaldistinction. Whatever the case, on songs such as "Three the Hard Way," whichfeatures lines like "For a long time y'all niggas have been taking So So Defas a joke," Dupri makes it clear he's got something to prove.

"A lot of Jermaine's accomplishments have definitely been overlooked," saysDeAndre "Free" Maiden, VP of operations at So So Def. "Him being from Atlantahas something to do with it, and also that JD is a nice humble guy, almost toa fault. He stayed out of the limelight, and in this age where image meanseverything, you really have to go after it. He vented a little bit on thisalbum, he really wanted to come to the table and say this is what So So Def'sdone, this is what I've done, and this is what I'm doing."

Lyrically, Life is a concept album, touting the fruits of Dupri'ssuccess-money, parties, women, and more money. He's strategically assembleda cast of high-cred guests from a variety of camps, including Jay-Z, SlickRick, Snoop, Mase, Mariah Carey and Usher in a not-so-subtle display of hishigh-powered connections-and a keen way to include something, if notsomebody, for everyone on the album.

Dupri didn't amass his millions for nothing, after all, so expect Life,with its streetwise sound, superstar guests, crisp production and intricatelywoven bass lines to have legs-even if they're slow to hit their stride.

TIARRA MUKHERJEE