DJ Drama is a name so synonymous with mixtape culture that he barely needs an introduction. His acclaimed Gangsta Grillz series has now been running for ten years, and with the new single "Right Back" heralding the coming of a sequel to 2012's High Quality Street Music, Drama showed no signs of slowing down when he visited our offices for an interview.
Speaking on High Quality Street Music 2, Drama said the title was "a phrase that I coined on a Jeezy mixtape back in '05." The aforementioned, Jeezy, Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan-featuring "Right Back" has proven a successful first single, but also bore the exact same Mekanics beat as two songs by Teyana Taylor and Tory Lanez. Clearing up the ownership of the beat, Drama says "Right Back" beat was always meant to be his, calls Teyana and Tory's versions "freestyles" and compliments them on the quality of their takes.
Having worked with everyone from Fabolous to Childish Gambino to Dead Prez, Drama also talks about the range and breadth of work, comparing his job to "playing characters" or "being a chef." "Sometimes people are hungry and they want full course meals," he said, "sometimes they only want hors d'oeuvres and appetizers." Whoever he's working with, Drama's knowledge, experience and connections are surely assets.