DRAM Returns With "What Had Happened Was..."

Artistic growth can be hard to come across in the music industry, but DRAM is a shining example of the importance of artist development. The Virginia-bred artist (formerly known as Shelley FKA DRAM) dropped his debut album, Big Baby DRAM, in 2016, but shortly thereafter, he went on a years-long album hiatus. In 2021, he popped back out with a new stage name and his long-awaited sophomore album, Shelley FKA DRAM. Today, he has dropped his third LP — What Had Happened Was… — under his original stage name, and his growth over the years must be talked about.

During his early days as the Hip-Hop hitmaker responsible for songs like “Cha-Cha” and “Broccoli,” DRAM was sensational and infectious. Years later, however, he has grown to be so much more. His sultry sophomore LP was a slow-burning R&B masterclass, and if you weren’t fully aware of his wide range of talents prior to that project, you definitely were afterward. Now, with the release of What Had Happened Was…, DRAM looks to combine the best of both worlds from his first two studio albums.

What Had Happened Was… clocks in at a runtime of approximately 58 minutes, and it features 19 tracks without any guest features. Sonically, it follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, but songwriting-wise, the project is far more intense, introspective, and vulnerable. DRAM’s mother passed away in 2020, and you can hear the pain in both his voice and his lyrics on tracks like “Angry” and “A Mother’s Love.” On “PPL,” DRAM touches on the pain that has affected him in recent years, and on “Reflections,” he criticizes his own shortcomings in the past.

In addition to the tidbits of information that listeners are able to pull from his lyrics, the album just generally boasts an amazing sound. Even the mid-album instrumental track “Bad News” sounds absolutely incredible. All around, this album is a treat for longtime DRAM fans. In addition to the callback to his debut studio album on “Big Baby DRAM,” he also drops off a sequel to his 2018 track “WWYD.” Plus to cap things off, DRAM closes What Had Happened Was… with a stripped-down live performance of “WHAM.”

Tracklist:

1. Vibe Of The Year
2. Ride Or Die
3. WHAM
4. 3’s Company
5. Let Me See Your Phone
6. Where’s My Sunshine?
7. Best That I Got
8. Can’t Hold You Down
9. Bad News
10. Angry
11. A Mother’s Love
12. Note To Self
13. Soul To Take
14. Big Baby DRAM
15. PPL
16. Reflections
17. First Time Again
18. WWYD? Part 2
19. WHAM - Live

Listen to DRAM’s latest full-length effort below, and once you do, hit the comment section to let us know your thoughts on the project.