advertisement

DJ Drama gathers rap’s best for new album

DJ Drama, “Quality Street Music” (E1 Music)

DJ Drama has earned respect in the music industry for boosting numerous careers of rappers such as Lil Wayne, T.I. and Young Jeezy through his popular mixtape series, “Gangsta Grillz.”

The success of the mixtapes helped ignite Drama’s popularity too: He is one of the few DJs in hip-hop to land a record deal, releasing his debut album, “Gangsta Grillz: The Album” in 2007.

Now, Drama returns with his fourth offering “Quality Street Music,” a 15-track album filled mostly with hard-thumping, high-energy street anthem songs. The album features a cast of rappers and singers that includes Drake, Common, Wiz Khalifa, T-Pain and Llyod.

Drama makes it all work with his uniquely assembled combination of artists meshed alongside solid production work. This is clear on the album’s singles, “My Moment” featuring 2 Chainz, Meek Mill and Jeremih, and “We In This (expletive)” with Young Jeezy, T.I., Ludacris and Future.

One of the album’s highlights is the Cardiak-produced “Never Die,” featuring Jadakiss, Cee Lo Green, Nipsey Hussle and Young Jeezy. With Cee Lo singing chorus, each of the rappers talks about how they were able to survive their own gritty streets.

Other standout songs are the V12: The Hitman-produced tracks “Clouds” featuring Rick Ross, Miguel, Pusha T and Curren$y, and “Same `Ol Story,” with Kid Ink, Schoolboy Q, Corey Gunz and Childish Gambino.

There are some downfalls here, but overall Drama delivers another respectable album. He continues to show he’s one of hip-hop’s top curators, creating a musical platform for artists so they can all flourish together.

Check this out: On “Monique’s Room,” rapper Fred The Godson seeks revenge toward an untrustworthy former mate.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.