Jermaine Dupri says he would do a classic album with Chris Brown, but his loyalty to Usher makes it a “dangerous” move.
The legendary producer’s working relationship with Usher dates back decades, and now that R&B star Chris Brown is at the top of the genre, people are asking if he would do a collaborative project with him. However, Jermaine Dupri admitted that while he thinks that Brown is incredibly talented, he is not willing to jeopardize his relationship with Usher.
“I know everybody — you know people — have this thing about Usher and Chris Brown,” Dupri said in a new interview on The Joe Budden Podcast. “I’m never gonna say Chris Brown, and I f*** with Chris Brown, but I wrote half of the Usher songs. Y’all want me to go against myself? Like, I’m not doing that.”
He continues, “I wrote these songs, I’m going for my songs. I’m never going to go against myself, but at the same time, like I said, with being competitive, I’m also saying, I want Usher to stay Usher. I want Chris Brown to stay Chris Brown. ?Let’s fight it out.”
Usher and Chris Brown’s Verzuz has been debated for years as to who would win, with both artists’ respective fan bases maintaining that their artist would come out on top. The two singers also have a working relationship and have collaborated with each other on many songs, including “Party” and “New Flame.”
However, their relationship also has its fair share of drama with rumors of them having a fight in Las Vegas in 2023 involving Teyana Taylor. Perhaps that complicated relationship forms part of Jermaine Dupri’s argument that a collaboration with Chris Brown wouldn’t be possible.
Jermaine Dupri speaking on Chris Brown:
“If I go in the studio with Chris Brown, I might f*** around and make Thriller and Usher would hate me for the rest of my life” – JD
?: JBP (Patreon) pic.twitter.com/HbPD5nKaqf
— Caleb (@CalebFromX) August 18, 2025
“It’s dangerous at this point,” the songwriter admitted. “I don’t go to the studio thinking about, ‘let me hold this, hold some other sh*t, hold this, let me keep this.’ I might f*** around and make Thriller. Usher will hate me for the rest of my life.”
Neither Chris Brown nor Usher has reacted to Jermaine Dupri’s comments.