DJ Dramatic

          By
Kevin "K.G." Gordon

With todays climate of over  
crowded mc's, producers, and   
djs, in  the hip-hop genre, there  
are few that take their art form  
and craft seriously . One prime
example of this, is the lack of
longevity with a lot of these artists.  
And  the quality of product that
they offer. On the other hand, we had
the opportunity to met a person who's
very passionate about his product. He
has positioned  himself  to become one
of hip-hops  premier Dj's. His name, Dj
Dramatic. Dj Dramatic has etched his
name in the minds of many mix tape
listeners - as one o f the very  best. I f
you haven't heard of  him by now,  u
will soon. We give u  the Aphilliates own,
Dj Dramatic.

NP:Whats going with u Drama? DjD: Doing good. Out here doing
my thing.  U know ? NP: Where are you from, originally? DjD:
Philadel -phia  NP: How long have you been a Dj? DjD: Since like,’
92. NP: U where a Dj for a known mc back in the day.  Who
was that? DjD: I was a Dj for Bahamadia NP: U were once a
member of  a well known Djing crew, called the "Super
Friends." What’s the deal with u guys, now? DjD: We're no
longer affiliated, I was a member of them, for a short period of time.
But, we later decided to create our own organization, called the
"Aphilliates.” Everything is all love with them. We was always peoples
from the gate. Ya know?  So its the best thing,  to manifest f rom that
situation. NP: Did u guys leave that situation on good terms ?  
Or was it  that you realized that you had to do your own
thing? DjD: Basically, it was creative differences and directions. I'm
in support of their organization.  Because the positive thing about it
is, that without the "Super Friends," there wouldn't be an
"Aphilliates.” We're thankful for that opportunity because it puts us in
a situation to do our thing, and it was a blessing. NP: We've seen u
and Dj Sense in the T.I video (24's). What’s your affiliation
with Grand Hustle? DjD: Just that, affiliation. I dj for Grand Hustle. I
represent PSC & Grand Hustle. And I do some Dj work with them. I
also represent  them on the mix tape side of things. I show them love
because I respect their music and I really believe in them. Other
than that, I'm just doing whatever needs to be done on that level - to
help. Ya know?  When T.I first got signed, his manager, JC,
approached me just for the mix tape game. This was like early on in
the mix tape game, down here. And I hadn't made a name f or
myself, yet. Just on the college level. And T.I hadn't really made a
name for himself.  J got a me and we built a relationship from there.
As we both continued to grow and support each other through each
of  our endeavors, it came a time where we really  just linked up and
it all came together perfectly. We worked on "In the streets," that I
did. And that "In the streets 5 Gangsta Grillz." It gave me a chance
to really know PSC, as the artist that they are.  I got a crazy
reception on it.  Ya know? It was a good experience to be a part of.
NP: U have a trend setting series with the "Gansta Grillz"
series of mix tapes. Did it start with 5? DjD: Nah, actually me
and my mans Dj Sense got a booth at Birthday Bash 2000 (Atlanta,
Ga), and we was like, we need something new. Because at the time,
everything  that we had new, was R&B. We didn't have a new hip-
hop cd. So we was like, we got  to do something. Thats when
"Gangsta Grillz" popped in my head. And me and Sense ran with it.
That’s how that happened. The series really took off on part 4.
There wasn't  a number 3, because I was like, dam I need a host.
This was before anybody in Atlanta or the south, was real heavy on
doing hosts. So I asked some people I knew to host it, because I
knew that would be hot. One of those people happened to be Lil
Jon. I  knew him, and we was cool. I asked him, could u come host
the tape. It was nothing. He came and hosted the tape. I accidentally
told him to say Gansta Grillz part 4.  And that’s how 3 was
skipped. Part 4 started bubbling, and 5 is where it picked up. After
that, all the stores started picking up on it. We even caught a
bootlegger in the West End (ATL), bootlegging # 6.  That one was
bootlegged heavily. NP: U have a lot of exclusive that people
don't get on their mixes. How do u go about doing that? DjD: It’
s very important to be on your hustle. U have to have 100% of  the
game. Especially from my perspective. Now that I know I got a lot of
eyes watching, I'm like, how can I make the next one better than the
last. Because I love what I do. Relationships are very important . And
keeping in good contact with people. As far as  music. Keeping your
ears  to the streets, on whats coming out and whats hot. Also,
having a good team. Because I have a lot of good people on my
team that lookout for me. Gangsta Grillz has Dj Drama on it, but
there a lot of other people putting in work on that. From the logo to
people behind the scene. From my business manager to Block
Entertainment (who helped bring Puffy to the table on # 12), there's
a lot of effort and hard work put into making these projects.
NP: What do you think about the other big name Dj's in the
game like Clue & Kay Slay? DjD: I look to all of them legends like:
Kay Slay or Doo Wop, Green Lantern, and Clue. I'm inspired by  all
of them. NP: With the mix tape game being  flooded with mix
tape Djs, how can  it survive?  And what are your thoughts on
it? DjD: Thats how hip-hop is. It’s something we grew up on. So it’s
become that thing that everybody's  a part of. The game is so
saturated now. A lot of  these kats doing mix tapes aren't necessarily
djs, or don't really know how to put a tape together. There are
definitely a lot of people coming up that do have the talent. Some  
people are gonna make it. Some are not. The game is saturated,
mix tapes come a dime a dozen. So, to really standout, u got to
make a statement. Like what I say, " Ya'll make tapes, I make
statements." NP: What makes a good mix tape overall, to u?
DjD: To tell u the truth, its what I feel, everything thats hot, I just
don't necessarily jump on. There are some things that I slept on.
Everything.... I just hear. I  don't just hear and know its a hit. But if
we hear it and that shit is crazy, then you know what time it is. But I
go for what I like.  NP: Have u had the opportunity to break a
artist or record through your mixes? DjD: Yeah, me and Don
Cannon broke "Slow Jams" before anybody. We do a mix tape
called  "Generation Now."  Kanye had a buzz, but no - body knew
where he was gonna be with that song. We thought it was hot. We
spun it. And from the reaction that we got from it, we knew it was
gonna be big. We also broke that David Banner song. I fucked with
him early on. My man, Charlie Braxton, put me on to that. I'm glad to
see him as big as he is, now.  NP:You guys have your mix game
on lock, and you're successful at that. Whats next for you
guys? DjD: We have a production company called Cannon Music.
NP: Do you do any production? DjD: I don't necessarily. I have. I
dabble, but thats not my main objective at the moment. But I'm very
involved with the business of production. We have an artist by the
name of  Willie  the Kid. Don Cannon and J Lyrical are producers.
We're just brand naming our situation from all angles. From the
artist angle, to the Cannon Music and Aphilliates angle.  We try to
stay relevant in the game with the music. Mix tapes are cool and all,
but at the end of the day, I don't care who's on there. It’s still a mix
tape.  And all that really is, is your business card and your brand
name. There's so much for us to accomplish and we're just getting
started.