Jermaine Dupri

JERMAINE DUPRI: THE INSTRUCTIONS OF A SO SO VEGAN

BY BRYSON “BOOM” PAUL

Alegendary producer. A legendary music executive. A legendary songwriter. Jermaine Dupri, 48, is known and adored for being a trailblazing original, but another feature we can admire about the Atlanta icon, the hitmaker is a long-time vegan. Fifteen years and counting, to be exact. Veganism is pop cultures’ latest trend. As early as 2016, being vegan or eating vegan has spread throughout A-listers like the current pandemic. According to 2019 reports, the lifestyle has grown into a 2-billion-dollar business. The textbook definition of veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan.\ For Steller’s debut cover piece, Bryson “Boom” Paul sits down with the music mogul behind Mariah Carey, Bow Wow and Usher to discuss his animal-free-eating journey from the beginning. He reveals the future business plans within the lifestyle that include his own signature vegan ice cream.

You have been practicing veganism for 15 years now. Was there is any person that guided you on being Vegan early on?

It was multiple people I spoke with. Different people I spoke to that knew about it. Different people I spoke to that tried veganism and went back. So, I asked a bunch of different people -- as many people I could find, I was asking questions.

What is the biggest misconception about people trying veganism?

The biggest misconception. Oh! I think the biggest misconception is that one, you are going to eat vegan and you are just going to lose weight -- and you are going to start looking different. You still must watch your carb intake. It is still the same mindset of eating if you were not vegan. Too much of the same thing will, you know, increase the same way it does if you eat other foods.

Have you referred others to the veganism lifestyle?

Yes. Well. Being around people and being vegan is difficult. At least in the beginning because a lot of Black people did not understand me being vegan. In the beginning of me going to eat, a lot of times, it would be like, “Okay, we are going out to eat...” And I would be like, “Alright, well… You will go head, go there. I’m go get my food, and I’ll meet you’ll back.”

And people would be like, “What? What is that? What are you doing?”

And I am like, “I got to go to a vegan restaurant” because I knew most of those places that were here, in Atlanta, were not even vegan-friendly. Now, places are more vegan-friendly, so it is a little different, but even ten years ago, it was rough.

Facts, I can only imagine 15 years ago, you would damn near have to scour the Earth for vegan meals…?

I knew where to go. It was just the fact, the vegan-friendly-ism, you know, and the fad of veganism was not here yet. People did not understand it. It was almost like a thing, where I would say it to people, and I was almost like an alien -- and then it was so many jokes about it. Because one, I am from the South. And to be from The South, and you do not want fried chicken, and be from The South and you not want barbecue ribs, or to be from The South and you not wanting Soul Food. I do want that, but I want the vegan-version (laughs).

As you mentioned, The South is heavily known for the meat. For people that are barely starting out, what would be some things you would advise to make it easier for them to transition?

Umm. The easiest thing I would say is to really identify with what food you really like, right. And then, find what food does not work with your body. It is interesting now, this late in my lifestyle of veganism, I am finding out that Tomatoes are not good for my body. I did not know this ten years ago. I am not good with a whole bunch of tomato intake. I kept feeling like this heart burn-type situation in my body, and I am like, “What is this?” “What’s driving this?” “What food are doing this?”

You find out it is too many tomatoes, absorbing too many tomatoes. So, it is just finding what fits your body. Also, veganism and eating healthy is just that… It is about feeling good. I can imagine a lot of people eat and do not feel good, they just eat

because they believe that is what they should be doing. Ultimately, I have seen multiple people eating and be like, “Man I got heart burn” or “Man, that messed my stomach up, but it was good.”

That means they do not actually feel good after they just eat, they just ate the food, and people continue through life like this. I know I have so I know other people do this. They eat the same food, repeatedly, thinking that “Aw, it was just bad last night.” No, it is your food intake, and your system does not really agree with it.

Started your transition 15 years ago, but when do you believe you had successfully made the transition into a veganism lifestyle?

Soon as I did the fast. First off, when you fast for 25 days, your body, your body parts, stomach-wise, becomes like a baby. It forgets how to eat, and it forgets how to hold food. So, you almost must wing yourself back in and you must drink orange juice for two days. You cannot do solid food because your stomach cannot hold it. You almost must train your body. Once you go through that process, I do not advise anyone to do that by the way; that was just my way in. it is very disciplined, you must be very disciplined to do the master cleanse for 25 days. I think that will drive a lot of people crazy, so I do not advise people to do that, but I am saying that is the way I got in, and once I got in there, it was no turning back.

As a Father, have you persuaded your children to eat vegan?

Well matter of fact, my oldest started, for this year (2021), basically being vegan for… I do not know how long she is going for but that was her new year’s resolution. People make all these jokes about veganism, and then, people have these encounters with food, that makes them feel bad. It is no way in hell you are not going to have one of these encounters. I think, at first, people want to joke so much at first, but then they have one of these encounters and they be like, “Oh, I’m not eating that...”

It is just like drinking [alcohol]. When people drink and they drink too much and they get drunk, they be like “Man, I’m never drinking again. I promise you. I’m not drinking again.” It is one of them type of moments. It is the same thing with the food. People have bad encounters with the food, and they be like “Aww man, that’ s it. No more red meat for me. I’m just going to eat fish.” Ok, so then you got people doing that, and then they get off the red meat and they just be on the fish, and then something happens with the fish. And they like, “You know what, I’m try this vegan thing. Let me see what’s going on.” It is just like that. People joke so much about it but then they have these encounters. The one thing I can say when you become vegan -- and once you figure out what it is, you are doing. The only problems that you usually have when you become vegan is that your hungry more (laungs) because your intakes not the same and then, ummm… Your taste buds, you are trying to get your taste buds right. Other than that, you are not going to have no cramps or stomach pain and that type of stuff. You will go to the bathroom in the beginning a lot because, like I said, your stomach is not used to what you are putting in your body.

How has the lifestyle affected you, creatively, rather good or bad?

Creatively, yes because it makes me wake up much earlier and get my day started and be a lot more present. I was a guy that use to stay in the studio all the time, I mean, I stay in the studio all the time, now. I would stay in the studio until about 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning. Then, come

home, and sleep till’ two or three o’clock (afternoon). 15 years ago, I would not be doing this interview, right now with you because I would be sleep. I would sleep half-of-the-whole-day, then I would wake up and be done missed everything. A whole bunch of messages, people would be like “Jermaine, we called you, blah, blah, blah.” This was my ritual, what I would do when I came out of the studio, I would, then, drive to Waffle House. So, I would live the studio, at six in the morning, I would go straight to Waffle House. At six in the morning, thinking like “Oh, it’s breakfast time.” I would eat all this heavy food. My food use to be: two eggs, over medium, hash browns with cheese, double wheat toast. I would eat this every day for, at least, 20 years straight, at six in the morning. As soon as I would eat the food, I would be in Waffle House like, “Oh my god, I’m so tired. I can’t wait to get home.”

All of that “I’m so tired, I can’t wait to get home,” sluggishness, because of the food, is not right. Food is supposed to be energy. So, that is one of the things that people need to get out they mind. Food is not supposed to make you sleep; food is supposed to energize your body. To make you keep going and want to do more. We eat food and we think, we ‘pose to get the “itis.” “I got that itis, that food was good.”

With me, I was being sluggish. I would eat that food; I would go home and then I would sleep. So, the food is just sitting on your body and its already bad food. So that is basically what my lifestyle was, and I felt it. I could feel it when I woke up in the afternoon, I could feel it, it was just like, I got to get rid of this. This must stop.

My journey started with me working out and just eating cleaner. Trying to just eat grilled chicken. I started the way most people start but I just ended up being vegan.

I know a lot of people ask where you get your protein from in veganism. But I know for a lot of us within black culture, the real question is, we want to know where do you get your desserts from in veganism?

[Laughs] Well, dessert… Oddly enough, vegan dessert, to me, is better than regular dessert because it is lighter. It is sweeter because, to me, almond milk and the things you put in as a replacement of what normal is, like almond milk vanilla is sweeter than regular white milk, right. If you add that (Almond Milk Vanilla), that automatically gives it a different taste. So, my mother made us sweet potato pie last Thursday, all vegan. Amazing. I eat these ice cream sandwiches that are in Whole Food. It is a place here that sells vegan Cinnabon, and they sell vegan cake.

I am talking about creating my own vegan ice cream soon. I feel like people need it and my idea is to, basically, fill in the holes where I believe they need to be filled. So be on the lookout for Jermaine Dupri ice cream.

For more on Jermaine Dupri and his eating vegan lifestyle, follow the mogul daily on Instagram. Check out the extended version of our interview on the official Steller Magazine website, coming soon.