Jermaine Dupri is known for the record-breaking, award-winning and chart-topping songs he’s produced and written. His successful track record with collaborators such as Jay-Z, Nelly, Mariah Carey and Usher, among others, has helped to establish him as one of the biggest hitmakers and talent scouts of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Now the founder of the iconic record label So So Def Recordings—where the careers of Bow Wow, Da Brat, Jagged Edge and more were launched—welcomes Atlanta rapper Cedar to the fold. To showcase the skills that got him signed, Cedar delivers a quick-tongued freestyle for XXL’s What I Do series.

“Don’t have no friends,” warns Cedar, before he lets us know what it is. “They switched up again/They stuck in they shit/And they smelling it/Aye, Cedar, pop ya shit/OK, this what it is.”

The “Answers” rapper also sends a shout-out to his So So Def boss before he ends his freestyle. “Got with JD/Yeah, they hatin’/It ain’t fadin’ me/I’m sorry I had to keep y’all folk waiting,” he spits.

Hailing from the Bankhead section of Atlanta, Cedar has been on the grind carving out a lane for himself in ATL’s underground hip-hop scene. After an introduction to JD via a mutual friend, he decided to sign with the legendary hitmaker’s historic record label. “Answers,” a record he wrote while locked up, is the first single from the BFPL member following his signing with So So Def/eOne.

Watch Cedar deliver his new freestyle above.

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