It would’ve been different if I was at Dr. It felt like I was starting from the bottom of the industry, and it was a hell of an experience, but I had already started my DJ career. to work on Baby Boy as a production assistant.
As soon as I graduated college, I went to L.A. I went to school for mass communications, and still inspired by my sister, I was trying to get into filmmaking a little bit. I feel like I’ve had various phases, but it’s really just been about leveling up. When did you truly find yourself as a DJ? The college DJ hustle is essential for several reasons. And before there was Gangsta Grillz, I had a Southern tape with various names that would be the hottest item when I was hustling tapes. I called it Hip-Hop Lovables, but it was a far cry from where we are today with that style of music. The same way I felt like I had to please everybody when it came to DJing parties, I had to make sure I had an East Coast tape, a South tape, a reggae tape, a Neo-soul tape-and I had a Neo-soul tape before it was even a genre. I really got on my mixtape grind being in school from just wanting to make a way for myself. I would sell mixtapes on campus and I’d know that during the summertime or whatever, people would travel and take them back to other places where different people would hear me. It was like myself, Don Cannon, and DJ Sense were those guys in college while we were there, then we branched out into the city, which was a way for me to build my name.
Dj drama full#
Whether it was another artist coming out or a writer I knew from being around, studios and labels-LaFace Records was here at the time, Jermaine Dupri was doing his thing with So So Def-and then being in a city that was so full with nightlife and parties. I feel like Atlanta, from the time I got here until this day, has always been the hub of hip-hop in some form or fashion.Īnd even with that, the fact that I was in a city where so many things were happening-with all due respect to Philly, we have a lot of musical mastery, but it doesn’t compare to Atlanta. And I was a fan of OutKast in Philly from the first time I heard “Player’s Ball.” Me and my pop drove to Atlanta playing Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, so when ATLiens came out in ‘96 and they were one of the greatest things to happen to music, I was right there in the center of it. It was one of the best things to happen for me, because it taught me to be versatile. When I was doing parties, I had to be able to satisfy everybody from everywhere-and everybody wants to hear their shit, whether they’re from the South, up top, the West Coast, Midwest, Florida, or Texas. “I’m having fun out here, so it’s not like I’ve been sitting on the sideline bitter that nobody’s been paying attention to my shit,” he says with a laugh.Ĭoming to Atlanta and the Atlanta University Center-the Mecca of the HBCUs-taught me to be well-rounded as a DJ. As much as Drama appreciates the nostalgia around his work, he always has his eyes on the future. He’s signed rappers such as Jack Harlow and Lil Uzi Vert (with whom he’s had a contentious relationship at times), and he’s come full-circle by contributing to Call Me If You Get Lost, a project honoring his influence. Then, in January 2007, it all came crashing down: Drama and his longtime collaborator DJ Don Cannon were arrested on RICO charges associated with mixtapes (although no further legal action was taken following the raid), which the music industry began to view as a threat to its business model.įourteen years later, Drama has released five albums and co-founded the Atlantic Records imprint Generation Now with Cannon. By the middle of the decade, he was working directly with record labels while continuing to release mixtapes. Immersing himself in Atlanta’s burgeoning music scene, Drama’s career took off as Southern hip-hop rose to dominance during the aughts. Many love it, others hate it-which Drama is fine with, because dissenting opinions have never impeded him.Īfter developing a passion for DJing as a teenager, the Philadelphia native realized he could make a career of it as a student at Clark Atlanta University. The spirit of Gangsta Grillz lives on through Tyler, the Creator’s latest album, Call Me If You Get Lost, where the 43-year-old Drama can be heard talking his shit throughout, for old time’s sake. His bellowed rants and catchphrases-who can forget “Barack ODRAMA”-atop revered mixtapes like T.I.’s Down With the King, Jeezy’s Trap Or Die, Lil Wayne’s Dedication series, and his own Gangsta Grillz, ensured that he was seen and heard as hip-hop’s premier mixtape DJ, but they also came off as grating and intrusive to a section of rap fans. DJ Drama is well aware of the antagonistic relationship he has with some listeners.
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