:
Not to be confused with Drama (rapper).
| Background | solo_singer |
|---|
| Birth name | Tyree Cinque Simmons |
|---|
| Alias | Drama Boy |
|---|
| Born | April 22, 1978 |
|---|
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/Atlanta, Georgia |
|---|
| Genre | Hip hop |
|---|
| Occupation | DJ, record producer |
|---|
| Years active | 2001–present |
|---|
| Label | Grand Hustle Records, Atlantic Records, Aphilliates Music Group |
|---|
| Associated acts | Don Cannon, T.I., Lil Wayne, Willie the Kid, Smokey |
|---|
| Url | GangstaGrillz.com |
|---|
Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978 in,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) better known as
DJ Drama is an American
hip hop artist and the official
DJ for
Grand Hustle/
Atlantic recording artist
T.I.. Drama is of Jamacian and Albanian descent. He is best known for producing
mixtapes, including the successful "Gangsta Grillz" series and
Dedication 2, which the
New York Times called one of the "10 best recordings of 2006".
DJ Drama, Don Cannon, and DJ Sense founded Aphilliates Music Group in 2003. The Aphilliates Music Group inked a label deal with Asylum Records in 2006, signing rapper Willie the Kid. As of January 2011, The Aphilliates now operates as its own entity, due to DJ Drama recently cutting ties with La the Darkman and Embassy Entertainment.
Music career
DJ Drama's debut album,
, was released in December 2007 on the Grand Hustle label. The album's first street single, "Takin Pictures", was released in 2007 and featured
Young Jeezy,
Willie the Kid,
Jim Jones,
Rick Ross,
Young Buck and
T.I., while the first single, "
5000 Ones", featuring
Nelly, T.I.,
Yung Joc, Willie the Kid,
Young Jeezy and
Twista, debuted on BET. The second single, "
The Art of Storytellin' Part 4", was released in 2008 and featured
OutKast and
Marsha Ambrosius. In 2009, DJ Drama released his second album entitled
, the first single was "
Day Dreaming", which featured
Akon,
Snoop Dogg and T.I. The second single was "
Ridiculous", which featured
Gucci Mane,
Yo Gotti, Lonnie Mac and
OJ da Juiceman. Both singles were released in 2009. DJ Drama will release his third studio album,
Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 3), in 2011.
The Gangsta Grillz album reunites DJ Drama and Don Cannon who had gone their separate ways for a few years after a lot of fighting and arguing as business partners.
Film career
DJ Drama has appeared in
T.I.'s
ATL in 2006, and
T-Pain's
in 2010.
Discography
Albums
{|class="wikitable"
!rowspan=2|Year
!rowspan=2|Title
!colspan=4|Chart positions
!rowspan=2|Sales
|-
!width=40|
US
!width=40|
US R&B;
!width=40|
US Rap
!width=40|
US Comp
|-
|2007
|
Released: December 4, 2007
Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic
|align=center|26
|align=center|3
|align=center|2
|align=center|29
|
US: 320,000+
|-
|2009
|
Released: May 19, 2009
Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic
|align=center|26
|align=center|5
|align=center|4
|align=center|26
|
US: 75,000+
|-
|2011
|
Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 3)
Released: TBA
Label: Aphilliates/ E1
|align=center colspan=5|
To be released
|}
Singles
{|class="wikitable" align="center"
!rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Song
!colspan="3"|Chart positions
!rowspan="2"|Album
|-
!width="40"|
US
!width="40"|
USR&B;
!width="40"|
USRap
|-
|2007
|align="left"|"
5000 Ones"(featuring
Nelly,
T.I.,
Yung Joc,
Willie the Kid,
Young Jeezy,
Diddy &
Twista)
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|73
|align="center"|—
|rowspan="2"|
Gangsta Grillz: The Album
|-
|2008
|align="left"|"
The Art of Storytellin' Part 4"(featuring
OutKast &
Marsha Ambrosius)
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|91
|align="center"|—
|-
|rowspan="2"|2009
|align="left"|"
Day Dreaming"(featuring
Akon,
Snoop Dogg, & T.I.)
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|88
|align="center"|—
|rowspan="2"|
Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2)
|-
|align="left"|"
Ridiculous"(featuring
Gucci Mane,
Yo Gotti, Lonnie Mac, &
OJ da Juiceman)
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|104
|align="center"|—
|-
|rowspan="2"|2011
|align="Left"|"Oh My"(featuring
Fabolous,
Wiz Khalifa &
Roscoe Dash)
|align="center"|124
|align="center"|45
|align="center"|—
|rowspan="2"|
Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 3)
|-
|align="left"|"Words of Advice"(featuring
Lil Wayne,
Mack Maine &
Kevin Cossom)
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|}
Awards
BET Hip Hop Awards
*DJ of the Year (Nominated)
Ozone Awards
*2008, Best Mixtape (Hood Generals) with BG (Won)
*Note: The award was a tie with Chamillionaire's Mixtape Messiah 3
References
Notes
Interview with DJ Drama's sister after the January 16th raid, Mixtapeshow.net, January 27, 2007
April 2007 Interview, Allhiphop.com, April 2007
Jeff Leeds, "Cracking down on mixtape CDs", New York Times, January 22, 2007
Samantha M. Shapiro, "Hip-hop outlaw (industry version)", New York Times Magazine, February 18, 2007
"Exclusive: DJ Drama Q&A;", Rhapsody.com, January 11, 2008
External links
Gangsta Grillz website
The Aphilliates
DJ Drama at MTV
Category:1978 births
Category:Living people
Category:Atlantic Records artists
Category:Clark Atlanta University alumni
Category:Hip hop DJs
Category:Mixtape DJs
Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia
Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Category:Southern hip hop musicians
Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia
![DJ Drama ft. Wiz Khalifa, Fabolous & Roscoe Dash - Oh My [New/Download]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110720092938im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9vfVxRheg9c/0.jpg "DJ Drama ft. Wiz Khalifa, Fabolous & Roscoe Dash - Oh My [New/Download]")
