DJ Drama

Biography

Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American DJ, record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gain prominence hosting mixtapes for other hip-hop artists. His trademark Gangsta Grillz series is present on releases of which he has compiled; it has been popularized by artists including Lil Wayne, Tyler, the Creator, Snoop Dogg, Yo Gotti, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Fabolous, Jeezy, Meek Mill, and Gucci Mane, among others. Alongside record producer and fellow Philadelphia native Don Cannon, he co-founded the record label Generation Now in 2015, an imprint of Atlantic Records which has signed artists including Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Harlow. Drama's extensive industry network has enabled his projects to feature both underground and mainstream artists as performers and producers. He signed with T.I.'s Grand Hustle and Atlantic Records to release his first two albums, Gangsta Grillz: The Album (2007) and Vol. 2 (2009). His subsequent albums—Third Power (2011), Quality Street Music (2012), Quality Street Music 2 (2016), and I'm Really Like That (2023)—were self-released and received moderate critical and commercial response. Drama was named "DJ of the Year" at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards, and won Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards for his work on Tyler, the Creator's album Call Me If You Get Lost (2021).

Bio from Wikipedia