Nfared: You’re in New York right now?
DJ Drama: Yeah I’m in the big apple. Man I’m on this promo man. I’m getting it in right now man they working me like I’m supposed to get worked. I did my man Flex show last night, I’m bout to go holla at Clue—I’m the phone with Nfared man, what else is there to say?
Nfared: What better thing is there right?? Now did you anticipate that you would blow up the way you did? What is planned?
DJ Drama: You know I believe I’m built for this you know, and it’s weird because I never expected to get to these levels but at the same time I knew we had the potential. I definitely knew we had the potential you know, when you in it and you grinding and when you broke and when your water gets cut off for the summer and then you go into the winter, you just can’t see it all the time you know but you just keep doing it and thankfully I’m doing what I love to do and once you break that glass top, it’s like on and poppin. So I’m thankful for it but I been doing this for so long and you know, have had so many visions, but if somebody would have told me everybody would know who DJ Drama is—it’s unbelievable.
Nfared: Where did the moniker DJ Drama come from?
DJ Drama: Basically I came up with that name in Philly a long time ago my man Hakim and Bakari you know two homies I used to run with back in Philly you know they kinda gave me that name and you know I was about 16 and it sounded so hot to me at the time and I just went with it.
Nfared: You’ve been putting out mixtapes and albums for a long time. What makes this up coming project different?
DJ Drama: It’s like Gangsta Grillz on steroids you know. This is the movie, that was the TV show—that was college basketball this is professional basketball so you know, this is just that, this is an album an instead of the artist bringing me their music—you know we sat down from beginning to end and pretty much put this album together to represent what Gangsta Grillz is about you know. It’s quality street music, so you know it feels good, you know it’s the accumulation of years of hard work and dedication and grind and seeing that Gangsta Grillz in stores you know is just beautiful.
Nfared: As best you can, describe what it’s like to wake up every morning and know that you are supporting yourself by being in a career you love.
DJ Drama: It feels great when you gotta get up—when they make you get up at five o’clock cause you got a flight to catch then you gotta jump in and do interviews and then go do radio and take pictures you know—it’s hard work you know it’s definitely hard work but at the end of the day I mean it’s like this is what you come here for sonny, so you know it’s all worth it man. It’s like cheating-- I’m doing what I love so, even at them point its like you can’t ask for nothing more.
Nfared: What was your first experience with music that made it what you wanted to pursue?
DJ Drama: I mean it’s a lot but I remember back in Philly and like the older kids on the block they would be like say this, ‘the roof the roof the roof is on fire, we don’t need no water let it burn!!’ They left the curse words out for me at the time but I just remember they made me recite that and I didn’t know what it was at the time and then I remember maybe a couple of years later or maybe right after that RUN DMC coming out and they were just like Gods you know what I’m saying; they were so bigger then life for what they did. And then the first record I ever got was this record called Street Rap and it had Roxanne Roxanne Roxanne on it and I memorized every word of that song you know I knew it from beginning to end and then I was always into music. Then around like ‘91 when Juice the movie came out and I went to see it and GQ was doing his thing on that screen and it was so big and you know he was cuttin and scratching and that shit looked so creative and hot and I was like man that’s what I want to do.
Nfared: What do you think about the whole censorship issue?
DJ Drama: I think it’s bullshit. I mean come on like George Bush is letting American Citizens you know go over seas and one get killed and two kill women and children and we worried about ‘bitch’ and ‘nigga’? Come on like are we serious? I just think time and time again black culture; especially young black culture that happens to be Hip-Hop in the moment in time is used as a scapegoat for the real issues at hand. It’s like this country was founded upon thievery and you know they teach that in schools. Don’t tell me about what we doing if you not dealing with the issues at hand. You know like Don Imus don’t listen to Hip-Hop like, he didn’t get those words from a rap record. He don’t know what’s going on, he just used that as a scapegoat after the situation happened you know, like when I went to see The Departed, and I seen everybody killing each other nobody came down on that movie and said it was too violent or this is what it represents you know so get off our backs man.
Nfared: Coming from that, do you think that there is a targeted attack on the Hip-Hop Community? This is especially in light of recent events with T.I. getting arrested, T-Paine was recently arrested, Lil Wayne, what happened with you…
DJ Drama: Definitely. I mean it’s a score for them. I mean look at T.I.P.’s situation and you know how it happened during the BET Hip-Hop awards and the timing of it—we heard Prodigy say you know those cops would offer him a deal if he were to set Fifty up and put guns and drugs in the vehicle you know. Look how it came to me if you go to Youtube and watch the footage you know they clearly say normally in these types of situations we find drugs and guns but in this one we didn’t. So why come to our doorsteps with M-16 drawn and come kick in our door and treat us like the Carters—like that episode of the Chapelle show where they kinda uh, they swapped out and they show how the judicial system handles “white collar crime” compared to how they deal with us as black people in this country and people of color. I mean look at how many people in Hip-Hop have been arrested this year and been put on front page. I mean you know none of us are perfect at the end of the day and I’m sure there have been some mistakes along the way but you know it’s always glorified when we do wrong and then they talk about the music and everything but it’s the same industry that does not even put any shine on the positive outcome of it.
Nfared: What personal impact did your arrest and everything that you went through have on you?
DJ Drama: Oh it was great man. It made me even more famous man—you can’t pay for that type of publicity.
Nfared: Do you think there was anything you could have done differently to prevent that situation?
DJ Drama: I believe everything happens for a reason so you know I don’t really deal in shoulda coulda wouldas you know so that situation happened and we moved on from there, you know I deal with the future I don’t even deal with the past.
Nfared: There are a lot of different kids of music out there in regards to Hip-Hop. You got your Soulja Boy and Ying Yang and people of that nature, then you got your Nas, JZ, Talib Kewli, those types. What do you think about the, perhaps, dissension that is going on in Hip-Hop with fans who say there is not enough balance?
DJ Drama: I mean I think people kinda forget where the culture comes from you know and I speak as one—I’m all about lyrics, I’m all about you know—I’m riding the JZ, Nas, and T.I. more than I’m riding the Soulja Boy, Shop Boys and DJ Unk—like have we forgotten the wop, the Pee-Wee Herman, you know, have we forgotten the Alf, and all them dances that Kid N Play and Heavy D and Salt and Peppa was doing you know, and it’s sad to say because a lot of the early years of Hip-Hop music was just that, was party music. Lets now forget you know? At the same time Rakim was out and he was also doing the wop and the Pee Wee Herman you know. This is a new generation. Let the kids have some fun man—that ain’t what I ride to. Not at all! I don’t ride to that, but am I gone play it at the party? Hell Yeah! That’s what keeps the party crackin man so you know all this dissension and everything you know, a lot of that comes with sometimes when people don’t come outside their element. Cause you know I was a stubborn ole east coast kid when I got to Atlanta. I wasn’t really one that liked booty shake, but when I got to the A, I saw how people responded to it and I was like damn they love they shit just like I love my shit and you can’t hate on that. You know, I think at the end of the day I respect it all. That don’t mean I ride to it, but I understand where it comes from and you know its funny because you know them niggas in Bankhead that came up with these dances, they wasn’t trying to appeal to you, they was trying to get the attention of the niggas on the Westside, it just so happened it blew up on the Eastside and the Southside, and then it went to the West Coast and then it went to the Mid West and then it went to the East Coast, and it went to worldwide and the shit blew they minds just as much as it blew our minds you know what I’m saying, so obviously something is right if it gets that major.
Nfared: I got an email not too long ago from an old coworker that said “Don’t Blame Hip-Hop for urban crime, blame poverty”. How do you feel about that statement?
DJ Drama: I mean it’s true I mean you know, it’s music. You can’t let the music raise your kids. When I was young all I wanted to listen to was Ice Cube, Ice Tea, and Ghetto Boys but I’m also a college graduate you see what I’m saying, so we gotta deal like the real issues at hand in this country which is racism, which is classicism, which is poverty, which is the fact that we still fighting to get the same you know outlets or the same opportunities that other people get and what have you. So you know music is very powerful and I do believe that you know, there definitely need to be some chosen few who lead a generation with their words, but I don’t put that—you know everyone is entitled to make what ever music they make you know, it’s not your obligation to raise my children you know? But there are going to be some that come along and speak the word and help change things. I mean you know we see how powerful JZ is; he’s a trendsetter and even if, you know he may not speak of—even though he does do records that spoke on Katrina and spoke on Imus and ignorant shit, he also does records that are just good, good straight up Hip-Hip gangsta shit, but look at what he has been able to achieve as a man that comes from poverty you know, that‘s the voice of a generation right there you know if he can do it anybody can do it, what you’re able to create with an idea. So you know we just gotta really give credit to our culture cause we’ve effected the whole world globally you know and much more positive than negative, but that’s not to say that we can’t deal with out faults cause we do have some faults you know I mean it is a shame that you know the majority of music that comes on the radio—barely is there any consciousness or you know people may be out just to get paid, I mean you know to deal with the problems does not take away from your love for it, it just shows the more love you have for it.
Nfared: So how do you feel about that fact that when you listen to radio, there isn’t really a balance?
DJ Drama: You know radio is a business so you know radio goes after what people request and what helps them sell adds on radio you know and it’s sad to say because it’s music and I personally myself you know if I turn it on I get tired of hearing the same song hours in and hours out you know but thankfully we also live in a technological age where you can get to music faster than any other point in time so there’s a lot of other outlets you know for you to hear and listen to music, so we just have to take advantage.
Nfared: You said you are a college graduate from…
DJ Drama: Clark Atlanta University
Nfared: With your degree in….
DJ Drama: Mass Comm.
Nfared: So if there had not been a “DJ Drama” what would there have been? DJ Drama: I don’t know I probably woulda been doing something creative or something in the entertainment business you know my sister is a film maker so when I grew up I kinda wanted to follow what she was doing so I was really into editing or you know getting behind the scenes maybe directing a movie of some sorts, but I can’t even imagine there being no DJ Drama at this point. Defintely—I’m not good at taking orders so I woulda been doing something creative, I would not have been behind no desk.
Nfared: What do you think about Hip-Hop artist being involved in the political process like Diddy with the whole Vote or Die thing and some of the things Russell Simmons is doing?
DJ Drama: I mean its necessary you know but see people gotta realize it comes in time. I think it happens with anything in anytime, the more power and the more wealth you amass, you start going into other fields where those doors are more open for you. Russell, he wasn’t that guy twenty years ago, Diddy wasn’t that guy twenty years ago, but the more and more you achieve and the more you accomplish the things you accomplish then you start getting into other things I mean you know can we imagine where Pac would have been right now with his career and what he was able to do for a generation?
Nfared: What do you think about the whole Myspace revolution?
DJ Drama: It’s crazy I mean you know it just shows you know how hands on, how other avenues are just vital to the game I love it man I’m a people person and it goes hand in hand with what we do.
Nfared: What do you think about the fact that--- I enjoy the entire process of going to the store and buying the album and trying to get into that plastic…
DJ Drama: I do too man I do too. See I’m like you I really enjoy that process too so, and you know me being a mixtape DJ like I always-- it was always a good feeling to have that tape in my hands when it was a completed project, like I still think that going to the store and buying an album is still refreshing and still important and still vital you know I can’t really see what the future is going to hold and if there is a point where we won’t do that anymore but there’s nothing like reading the book and looking at the Thank You’s and the album credits and looking at the pictures, I just love that whole process.
Nfared: And you said it’s hard to see what the future holds, you know a lot of mom and pop music stores are closing, Tower Records shut down. Do you think that downloading and things like iTunes are really having an impact in sales, or do you think people are starting to look for something different in music?
DJ Drama: Well no obviously not because Fifty and Kayne just came out and did about 1.5 million to mind and J just dropped and did 450,000 and T.I.P did 463,000, you know I think it’s about artist development and artist having songs that are bigger than them you know people aren’t buying into songs, as much as the industry wants to tell you we’re in the ringtone business, which we are, ringtones are definitely making a lot of money for a lot of people and I can respect that, but at the end of the day when it comes to your career, it comes to records you know, them ringtones you know they change those out every couple of months on them phones you know so it becomes making sure you as an artist you know do you thing and it’s not about just your song it’s about you and your long lasting career.
Nfared: I spoke to an artist recently and he said that the industry is no longer artist driven, it’s producer driven…
DJ Drama: I disagree. I think what it is it’s content driven. It’s about content. People don’t want to just buy an album no more. They want to see the visuals, they want to see you on Youtube, they want to see you talking directly to them, they want your ringtone on your phone with your special edition, you know you want your DVD with your album, it’s about content, we’re selling more than records, we’re in the content business.
Nfared: When I was growing up kids my age wanted to be athletes, but now there has been a shift and a lot of kids want to be Hip-Hop stars. What do you think that’s about, and do you think that lifestyle is as glamorous as kids think it is?
DJ Drama: Nah of course not it’s a lot of hard work and everything you know. It’s a lot of dedication, and nobody makes it over night. A lot of people put a lot of time into it and if you notice a lot of the true success stories, a lot of the big artist are those who have been around for quite sometime; the Fifty Cents, the JZ’s, those artist that were mildly successful early in their careers and had to come back and really blow so don’t believe everything you see on TV I mean you gotta do it for the right reasons, you definitely gotta have a passion for it.
Nfared: Well what about those artists who aren’t just in cause they can do it, but are in it cause they see the potential to make a lot of money?
DJ Drama: I mean you know—if someone’s successful for it then I don’t want to knock them, you know at the core end of the day those who are most successful in music are those who have the passion and the drive for it and who don’t do it for money. You know JZ by no means is struggling for any money. He just came out with a great album and he sounds hungry and he sounds like he really wants and at the end of the day those are who survive.
Nfared: What don’t you like about being DJ Drama?
DJ Drama: Hmmm--- Taxes! (Laughs)
Nfared: That would be it?
DJ Drama: Yup, Taxes.
Nfared: Well, and I know this is a hard one, but if you could pick one, what’s one of your favorite things about being you?
DJ Drama: Yeah that is a hard one—I mean I can’t say it’s my favorite but I have to say that I’m very humbled that I have been able to travel the whole word off what I love to do, I mean I’ve been all over, it’s a beautiful thing.
Nfared: You have worked with a slew of different artists and I’m sure have seen a lot with your time in the industry, what’s some memorable experiences?
DJ Drama: One time about a year, and it’s crazy this happened before the raid, about year and a half ago at the BET Awards I was at this Warner Atlantic party, I was leaving and Kevin [Lyles] and Puff were talking to each other and I was saying peace and I was like I’ll see ya’ll later I’m bout to be out and I said peace to Puff and Puff was like “Wait a minute, damn I thought that was you Dram.” He was like “I really been meaning to tell you this man. From one hustla to another, you’re really onto something. I’m not talking bout these records. I don’t know what the future holds for you but it’s big and I just been meaning to tell you that cause I been watching you and seeing you.” You know that for me, for Sean Combs to say from one hustla to another—for him to compare what he does to what I do you know it was like—that’s somebody that I grew up you know watching him do his thing in Hip-Hop and make history and you know being able to have somebody like that as a peer and a friend you know for him to look at and respect my hustle, those are like priceless jewels like you can’t pay for that type of stuff.
Nfared: So that happened and then the raid happened. Did that discourage you at all form what Diddy said to you?
DJ Drama: Nah I mean I really looked at it you know—he said there’s something big for you, I mean you know as negative as that day was with the raid, they put me in the history books faster then I was already going, you know? I’m in there baby! When they write the Hip-Hop story, Dram is in there so you know, and again you know they also pushed my movement forward so you know I’m sitting here almost a year later after the raid you know feeling better than ever, you know and everything is in tact and we still going. And then for somebody like that who has been through so much adversity and overcome it, it’s just as example—it’s time to work baby!
Nfared: Was there anything specifically that was going through you mind at the time of the raid that got you through it?
DJ Drama: My chain, the Aphiliates. I mean basically, Sense, Live, Cannon, Willie Da Kid, we got a strong family sense about yourselves, so I really had then in my ear really keeping me focused and keeping me seeing the big picture on what it is do to. You know I definitely had some down moments that following week--- you know I mean it was definitely um—it was a lot to deal with. They came at us hard, so it was fearful at times, but thankfully I had a good team who is very critical of me which I believe is very necessary in any type of business you know to have people that are critical of you.
Nfared: Then after the raid one of the magazines did the whole is this the end of the mixtape thing.
DJ Drama: It was Scratch.
Nfared: Ok yeah they did that whole story. What do you think that whole episode for the future of mixtapes?
DJ Drama: Really it’s just like—that’s why I still do mixtapes. That’s why I still put them out cause you know that happened on my shoulders, that happened on my watch, you know what I mean and I have represented Mixtape DJs for years, so you know it’s important for me to keep putting them out so that the younger niggas and the ones coming up under me know that we can’t let this die, this shit is necessary, and you know ‘oh Dram still doing them? Ight cool well then there’s hope then.’ That’s how I look at it.
Nfared: People in the industry are now saying that’s it’s not about how talented you are, it’s about your hustle. Is that true?
DJ Drama: Oh definitely. I mean talent is important, but I mean you know—I’m not the best, I say that all the time, but I run this you know what I mean, my hustle is what got me here. I’m blessed to have a talent, but you know just cause you the nicest DJ or the nicest anything, you know if the world don’t know what you doing, it don’t matter, hustle is key.
Nfared: Give me some words of encouragement for anyone coming up behind you.
DJ Drama: If we can do it you can do it. You know what I mean. Most of the greats have overcome adversity you know. You’re not proven until shit gets rough.
Nfared: What’s the future hold for DJ Drama?
DJ Drama: I’m doing everything man. I’m excited about my new album you know of course coming out and what the future holds for me. I have visions for the future but you know more than everything its just to represent the culture and you know keep trying to create a dynasty out of the Aphiliates and you know really continue our legacy of representing quality and creativity and really represent Hip-Hop Music.
Nfared: One more plug for the album!
DJ Drama: DJ Drama Gangsta The Album, In Stores Now! GO GET IT!
There is no way you can hate on that. MCP
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