DJ Drama

DJ Drama Previews Nipsey Hussle Collab On “I’m Really Like That” Album

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We’re slowly approaching the four-year anniversary of Nipsey Hussle’s untimely passing. The rapper was shot and killed in his stomping grounds in L.A. on March 31st, 2019. Fans and friends have kept his name alive since then, while many have sought justice against the man who murdered Nip in broad daylight. Last week, a judge handed down a 60-year to a life sentence to Eric Holder for the death of Nip. Though many expressed relief, it doesn’t bring Nipsey Hussle back.

Since his passing, fans have cherished Nipsey’s catalog even more. He released a handful of classic mixtapes throughout his career and only dropped one album, Victory Lap. From his early bangers to the Grammy-nominated, “Racks In The Middle,” Nipsey Hussle boasts a timeless catalog. However, there have been very few updates surrounding any posthumous releases. His family hasn’t shared any plans to drop unreleased records, though he’s posthumously appeared on a few singles alongside legends like Jay-Z and Dr. Dre.

DJ Drama Previews Nipsey Hussle Track

It seems like another posthumous record from Nipsey Hussle might be coming soon. This week, DJ Drama hit fans with a preview of a verse from Nip that will presumably land on the DJ’s next album. The verse itself, however, isn’t actually new, despite claims that the verse is unreleased. Drama reused Nip’s verse from 2016’s “State Of Mind” for the record, which he described as being a big tune on his upcoming project, I’m Really Like That.

DJ Drama and Nipsey Hussle are no strangers to each other. Prior to the release of Victory Lap, Nip linked up with Drama for the third part of the Marathon series, Crenshaw. Unfortunately, we didn’t get many collaborations from them since then. If Nip was still with us today, it would’ve been amazing to see how he would’ve approached a Gangsta Grillz mixtape. Nonetheless, we’re excited to hear what Drama has cooking up on his forthcoming album. Check the snippet above and sound off with your thoughts in the comments. We’ll keep you posted on anymore updates surrounding DJ Drama’s upcoming project, I’m Really Like That.

T-Pain Says Artists Used To Pay Him For Using Auto-Tune Including Diddy

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T-Pain is the Godfather of Auto-tune. Though there were many artists who used the vocoder before him, Pain revolutionized music in an incomparable way. Sure, he faced pushback from artists like Jay-Z, who released a song titled, “Death Of Auto-Tune” in response to T-Pain’s influence on rap. Evidently, Jay’s record didn’t hold much weight as the vocoder became a fixture in rap music in the years that followed. Artists like Future and Young Thug became ubiquitous figures due to their innovative auto-tune melodies that have defined the sound of hip-hop for the past decade.

Auto-tune never died but for the early years that rappers tried to adopt the technology, it wasn’t nearly as effective as T-Pain. With the exception of Kanye West – and even perhaps, Lil Wayne – those who tried to use auto-tune didn’t necessarily find similar success. Though rap purists shunned the idea of using a vocoder in the booth, there were many others who embraced it, even back then. So much so that Pain recently revealed that he got a check whenever someone would use auto-tune on their records.

T-Pain’s Auto-Tune Royalties

DJ Drama joined T-Pain for the latest episode of Nappy Boy Radio where the Gangsta Grillz creator listed Jay’s “Death Of Auto-Tune” as one of his top five songs. Pain explained that the song didn’t have the effect Jay thought it would, especially with the new crop of artists. Drama then asked Pain to confirm the rumors that he got paid every time someone used auto-tune. T-Pain confirmed it was true, revealing that several artists wrote him a check back in the day, such as Diddy.

“It was nuts, it was real crazy,” he said of that point of his career. “Some people volunteered and some people didn’t know, so that was great. Diddy volunteered. Diddy gave me points on Last Train To Paris ’cause he used Auto-Tune.” Pain added that there’s video evidence on a hard drive of Diddy “writing a contract on a napkin in the studio saying he was gonna give me a point on Last Train To Paris.” Hopefully, that video emerges in the near future. Check the full interview out above. 

DJ Drama Recreates Iconic Scenes From “Juice” With Queen Latifah

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DJ Drama’s gearing up to drop off a new album. Ever since the resurgence of Gangsta Grillz mixtapes, Drama’s laid out some massive plans. Not only does he have a few mixtapes in the work with legendary artists, but his follow-up to Quality Street Music 2 is currently in the works. The project is reportedly titled, I’m Really Like That. As you’d expect, there’s going to be a flurry of collaborators on board, including those that have contributed to the Gangsta Grillz series.

The rapper shared a few details surrounding I’m Really Like That recently. He previously shared a photo on Instagram that hinted at a few people he’s working with. Among those are Generation Now signees Jack Harlow and Lil Uzi Vert. However, there are also some major players that he’s worked with in the past, like Gucci Mane and Freddie Gibbs. Additionally, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Offset, and Doe Boy have cooked up Drama’s highly-anticipated next body of work. 

DJ Drama x Queen Latifah?

In anticipation of his next album, it appears that Drama’s already started to cook up new visuals. The Philly native shared photos of himself and Queen Latifah on the set of some sort of video shoot where they recreated a few scenes from Juice. “If you know my story, then you know what this means to me,” he said in an Instagram post. “@queenlatifah I love you [heart emoji] you are truly THEE QUEEN,” he added before hinting that Jim Jones potentially directed the music video. 

Juelz Santana appears to have some sort of involvement in the shoot. Drama and Juelz are currently working on We In Motion, a new Gangsta Grillz mixtape and the Dipset rapper’s first project since his release from prison. Juelz chimed in on Instagram, praising Queen Latifah and confirming his role in the shoot. “Honored To Meet The 1 N Only @queenlatifah not only that I got to re N act 1 of my fav seance from my favorite movie with her WOW… If U Know U Know… LEGENDARY Couldn’t Let Her Leave Without A Pic,” he captioned the post. We’ll keep you posted with more updates on Drama, Juelz, and Queen Latifah’s shoot. Check Drama’s post above. 

Lil Uzi Vert Doesn’t Agree That ‘Just Wanna Rock’ Has Replaced ‘Dreams & Nightmares’ As Philly’s Rap Anthem

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lil uzi vert just wanna rock
Getty Image

Lil Uzi Vert’s new, Jersey club-inspired single “Just Wanna Rock” is taking over the streets. Its popularity has grown so much in such a short time, though, that it’s begun receiving comparisons to another Philadelphia-bred rapper’s classic anthem.

DJ Drama, the Generation Now label head responsible for bringing Uzi’s unique style to the world, told TMZ that “Just Wanna Rock” was the new official rap anthem of Philly, replacing Meek Mill‘s “Dreams And Nightmares Intro,” after Uzi walked out the Eagles ahead of their NFC Championship win over the San Francisco 49ers.

However, Uzi seems not to agree. Uzi addressed Drama’s comments at the Grammys, telling Revolt TV (via The Shade Room), “That song been around for a very long time, and that song is still hitting exactly the same way. I’m just gonna have to see, you know, in a couple of years or a decade or whatever.”

Uzi did have praise for the elder rapper though, saying, “That’s one of my big homies. I just feed off the energy that he gives, to be able to even produce or put out that type of music… He would hope that for me too. Not yet though — it’s too early to tell.”

Meek himself — who got a similar co-sign from the Eagles for their Super Bowl championship in 2018 with “Dreams And Nightmares” — tweeted what appeared to be a response shortly after Drama’s original comments. “Intro been lighting the world for 10 years!” he wrote. “Like shaking rooms for years!”

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Lil Uzi Vert Responds To DJ Drama Claiming “Just Wanna Rock” Replaced “Dreams & Nightmares” As Philadelphia Anthem

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DJ Drama faced a little bit of backlash when he said Lil Uzi Vert replaced Meek Mill for Philadelphia’s anthem. Uzi walked the Eagles out to the field ahead of their high-stakes match-up against the 49ers for a spot in the Super Bowl. “Just Wanna Rock” built excitement in the stadium, which Drama felt was proof that the single replaced Meek Mill’s “Dreams & Nightmares” intro as the Philly anthem.

“I think it’s fair to say that ‘I Just Wanna Rock’ has replaced — with all due respect — ‘Dreams and Nightmares’ as the new anthem of Philadelphia. As the new anthem of the Philadelphia Eagles this year,” Drama said. “I’m looking forward to hearing that song many, many times [during] Super Bowl weekend.”

ATLANTA, GA- JANUARY 28: Lil Uzi Vert and DJ Drama attend the <a href=Migos In Concert at Center Stage on January 28, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo By Prince Williams/Wireimage)” class=”wp-image-629489″ srcset=”https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-640369890.jpg 3260w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-640369890.jpg?resize=221,300 221w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-640369890.jpg?resize=768,1045 768w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-640369890.jpg?resize=753,1024 753w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-640369890.jpg?resize=1129,1536 1129w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-640369890.jpg?resize=1505,2048 1505w, https://editor.urbanlinx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-640369890.jpg?resize=1103,1500 1103w” sizes=”(max-width: 3260px) 100vw, 3260px” />
ATLANTA, GA- JANUARY 28: Lil Uzi Vert and DJ Drama attend the Migos In Concert at Center Stage on January 28, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo By Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Drama signed Lil Uzi Vert to Generation Now. However, Uzi didn’t agree with Drama’s assessment of the two songs. Speaking to Revolt TV at the Grammys, the “Money Longer” rapper showed love to Meek Mill and explained that “Dreams & Nightmares Intro” holds a decade-worth of weight.

“I don’t think so,” he responded after he was asked about whether his song surpassed Meek’s hit record, per TheShadeRoom. “That song like been around for a very long time, and that song is still hitting exactly the same way. I’m just gonna have to see, you know, in a couple of years or a decade or whatever.”

He also explained that he has a strong relationship with Meek Mill, who he considers a “big homie” in hip-hop. “[Meek] that’s a big Homie from Philly, and that’s like one of my big homies,” he added. “So I just like feed off the energy that he gives actually to be able to even produce or put out that type of music. So like, hopefully, like s**t, hopefully. He [Meek] would hope that for me too. Not yet though it’s too early to tell.”

Following DJ Drama’s comments, Meek Mill also chimed in on the matter. He didn’t necessarily take offense but he made it clear that “Dreams & Nightmares” proved that it has staying power. “Intro been lighting the world for 10 years!” he tweeted in response to Drama’s comments. “Like shaking rooms for years!”

Lil Uzi Vert performed his latest hit record on Sunday night at the Grammys during the Hip-Hop 50th segment. 

DJ Drama Says Pusha T’s “Gangsta Grillz” Will Be The Next Grammy Award-Winning Mixtape

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DJ Drama has high hopes for Pusha T’s Gangsta Grillz project that’s yet to cement a release date. The legendary DJ caught up with Complex on the Grammys red carpet and shared some info on the upcoming project with Pusha T. In fact, he believes that it will be the next mixtape to win a Grammy.

“The Pusha T Gangsta Grillz is definitely going to be spicy. You know, I feel like it could potentially be the next mixtape to win a Grammy,” he said, chuckling. “Shout out to Push. We on the way.”

The two artists confirmed a Gangsta Grillz tape was in the works following the success of It’s Almost Dry. Drama announced the news during a conversation on Twitter Spaces. Pusha  T later confirmed that the two were working together on a new project. 

“I just feel like to me, the Gangsta Grillz and the whole mixtape culture and scene is what I’m about. That’s the purest form of Hip Hop to me,” Push said. “The fact that Drama is having so much success, the fact that that’s what I love in Hip Hop, I want to merge those worlds and see what happens.”

Of course, Pusha T would be among the latest to work alongside DJ Drama in the past two years. Following Tyler, The Creator’s 2021 album, Drama collaborated alongside Jim Jones, Symba, and more for their own Gangsta Grillz. Still, Pusha T gave Tyler, The Creator credit for inspiring his upcoming project under the iconic mixtape banner, especially after seeing the project win a Grammy.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: Pusha T attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

“I’m going to be honest with you, seeing Drama’s mixtape with Tyler and how they won a Grammy, I was like, ‘Man, mixtapes really won a Grammy.’ So I’m trying to be a part of that culture as well,” he added.

Pusha T, unfortunately, didn’t win a Grammy this year. The Virginia rapper was nominated in the Best Rap Album category for It’s Almost Dry, where he was up against DJ Khaled’s God Did, Jack Harlow’s Come Home The Kids Miss You, Future’s I Never Liked You, and Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which took home the award.