DJ Drama is an American hip-hop star best known for his collaborations with Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane and Snoop Dogg.
Here’s everything you need to know about the record executive and music promoter.
Who is DJ Drama?
DJ Drama, real name Tyree Cinque Simmons, is an American DJ who initially gained recognition as the official DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I.
Born on April 22, 1978, the 45-year-old is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native who studied at Clark Atlanta University.
He started producing mixtapes aged 13, including one titled Illadelph which featured artists such as Black Thought, Dice Raw and Malik B.
During his studies of mass communication in university, he began creating and releasing more mixtapes under the moniker DJ Drama .
But his mixtape series, Gangsta Grillz, became Drama’s trademark as several high-profile artists such as Fabolous, Jeezy and YoungBoy Never Broke Again utilized Gangsta Grillz branding in projects he’s compiled.
DJ Drama co-founded the Atlanta-based hip hop collective known as the Aphiliates Music Group (AMG) in 2003 alongside Don Cannon and DJ Sense.
By 2005, Drama and his AMG pals produced and hosted Lil Wayne’s The Dedication mixtape which would go on to spawn a lengthy series of Dedication tapes.
Dedication 2, released in May 2006, appeared on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was labeled by The New York Times as “one of the 10 best recordings of 2006”.
Drama became an underground king in the mid-2000s, thanks to the classic Gangsta Grillz mixtape collaborations with Lil Wayne (Dedication 2), T.I. (Down With The King) and Jeezy (Trap Or Die).
Who does DJ Drama work for?
DJ Drama co-founded Generation Now in 2015 – an Atlantic records imprint with popular artists such as Lil Uzi Vert, Jack Harlow and Skeme on its roster.
Generation Now had its first number one record on the Billboard 200 with Lil Uzi Vert’s August 2017 debut studio album, Luv Is Rage 2 – and DJ Drama served as executive producer on the album.
In 2021, Drama narrated Tyler, the Creator’s album Call Me If You Get Lost, and was credited as a feature on the first track Sir Baudelaire.
The album’s “intros” and sound was partly inspired by Drama’s “Gangsta Grillz” series, and is often credited as a nod to that “mixtape” sound.
A further instalment of the Gangsta Grillz series, D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape, was released on March 31, 2022, in collaboration with Dreamville and J. Cole.
What was DJ Drama locked up for?
On January 16 2007, AMG’s Atlanta Studios were raided by Fulton County cops who seized over 80,000 mixtapes, four vehicles and some recording equipment.
Both DJ Drama and Don Cannon were taken into custody on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges after accusations were made that the pair were bootlegging music.
Hard drives containing tracks from Drama’s first “official” album, Gangsta Grillz: The Album, were also seized despite the fact the album was due to be released.
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Their company assets were frozen and their computers and CD’s were confiscated.
Drama and Cannon were both charged with bootlegging and racketeering under the RICO act which led to change in approach for many mixtape DJ’s.
The pair spent 24 hours in prison before beating the charges.
What is DJ Drama’s beef with Drake?
In May last year, DJ Drama revealed on the Drink Champs podcast that Drake allegedly slept with one of his girlfriends.
In the clip, host N.O.R.E says to DJ Drama “Drake smashed your girl” to which he laughed and nodded.
While DJ Drama did not reveal the name of the woman Drake allegedly slept with, fans were convinced it was his ex-wife Summer P Walker.
This is due to Drake’s lyrics from his song “I’m The Plug” with Future, where he name drops the singer.
Drake raps: “If you come here trying to take some/ There’s a lot more where that came from/And it really ain’t no thing, I got Summer P in this thing”.
The pair also fell out in 2015 when rumours circulated that the creator of the Gangsta Grillz mixtape told Meek Mill that the “Shut it Down” lyricist used a ghostwriter for his guest verse on Mill’s “R.I.C.O” track.
The incident launched the infamous beef between Drake and Mill but in May last year, Drama confirmed that the beef was finally squashed.
When was DJ Drama robbed?
DJ Drama was allegedly robbed on Saturday June 10 in Toronto.
Toronto rapper Top5 posted a video on his Instagram page of three men showing off glittering chains and a watch that reportedly belong to DJ Drama.
Masked robbers were seen holding up the expensive accessories and can be heard shouting “Drake” in the background.
“That’s what you f**king get for not checking in. Shout out boy Drizzy, eh. Triple Gs, you know how we rock,” one of the masked men yelled at the camera.
In the caption, it reads: “For all you that don’t post my music, and don’t play my music 2023 your chains are getting snatched.. @djdrama come get ur chain back lil boy.”
Local reports have claimed that DJ Drama was allegedly robbed of his jewellery during his event at Century Nightclub.
He was reportedly left bloodied following the alleged robbery.
Neither Drama nor his former enemy have addressed the situation on Twitter.
