Soul Train Awards 2022: Jermaine Dupri Recalls Being Blown Away by Xscape’s Talent as He Presents Them With The ‘Lady of Soul Award’
Trailblazing 90s R&B group Xscape accepted the prestigious “Lady of Soul” Award at the Soul Train Awards 2022 hosted by comedian and actor Deon Cole. The memorable moment was presented by the man who kickstarted their musical careers and ultimately helped reshape the sound and fashion of hip-hop and R&B, Grammy Award-winning musician Jermaine Dupri.
The hip-hop mogul took to the stage where he reflected on the first time he was introduced to Kandi Burruss, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, LaTocha Scott, and Tamika Scott in 1992 at his birthday celebration. “They came to perform at my birthday party, and I’m not sure if they thought that they were going to get a record deal, but they just came and they sung [sic] happy birthday and the way that they sounded when they were singing—it blew me away,” the songwriter recalled.
Well before establishing his iconic imprint that gave us rappers including Bow Wow and Da Brat, and with no plan in mind, the legendary producer promised the aspiring artists that he would sign them. The Atlanta native kept his word and ultimately presented a record deal and signed the ladies, making them the first acts to join the So So Def roster.
Muni Long, T.I., and Da Brat appeared in a video segment looking back on the group’s legacy. The individual entertainers spoke about their favorite moments from the group and their influence on the industry. Meanwhile, Jermaine claimed, “People didn’t have belief. People thought I was crazy and we here–thirty years later” before introducing “the prolific and grounding breaking” ladies of Xscape to accept their award.
Kandi spoke first on behalf of the group, thanking Jermaine for having a vision when no one else did and opening up doors to create their illustrious careers. LaTocha later took a moment to encourage everyone to uplift one another as opposed to dimming each other's lights.
