Jermaine Dupri Officially Leaves Virgin Records Post

Jermaine Dupri confirmed today that he has resigned from his post as head of Urban Music at Virgin Records. During the past week, rumors have circulated that Dupri had already left the label in the wake of the lackluster sales of his girlfriend Janet Jackson's latest LP, 20 Y.O. In a statement released to the Associated Press, Dupri commented, "Since there are so many rumors running rampant about my position at Virgin Records, I feel that it is necessary to set the record straight. I was not forced out of the company, I made a decision that it was in my best interest to leave." Jackson's album sold a disappointing 296K copies in its first week on shelves and later experienced a 74% sales drop-off, causing it to plummet several spots on the Billboard charts in just a week. Dupri, who is credited with a slew of hit records from various R&B, pop and hip-hop acts over the last 16 years, accepted the position at Virgin in 2005.